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H.R.2604 / 114th Congress

Need-Based Educational Aid Act of 2015

Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 169.

Official summary

Version 79 · Reported to House without amendment · Jul 23, 2015

(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.)

Need-Based Educational Aid Act of 2015

(Sec. 2)This bill amends the Improving America's Schools Act of 1994 to extend through FY2022 the antitrust exemption that allows institutions of higher education that admit all students on a need-blind basis to enter or attempt to enter into agreements among themselves regarding the administration of need-based financial aid.

The bill also, however, repeals the permission for these institutions to exchange through an independent third party, before awarding financial aid to any of the students, data submitted by the student, his or her family, or a financial institution on their behalf relating to assets, liabilities, income, expenses, the number of family members, and the number of the student's siblings in college, if each of the institutions is permitted to retrieve the data only once with respect to the student.

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Who introduced it

Rep. Smith, Lamar [R-TX-21] · R–TX

Committees

  • Judiciary Committee
2 cosponsorship records, including any withdrawals

Actions

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  1. Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 169.

  2. Reported by the Committee on Judiciary. H. Rept. 114-224.

  3. Reported by the Committee on Judiciary. H. Rept. 114-224.

  4. Ordered to be Reported by Voice Vote.

  5. Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.

  6. Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial And Antitrust Law Discharged.

  7. Referred to the Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial And Antitrust Law.

  8. Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

  9. Introduced in House

  10. Introduced in House

Bill text & related measures

Text links open the official source. We currently store references to these documents.

Related bills identified by Congress.gov

Source last updated: Dec 5, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.

Explore the bill from different angles

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Neutral evidence review

Objective

Analyze H.R.2604 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.

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Fairness and public impact

Progressive lens

Examine H.R.2604 through a progressive lens, focusing on fairness, access, economic inequality, and effects on vulnerable communities. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and distinguish stated goals from demonstrated outcomes.

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Institutions and government scope

Conservative lens

Examine H.R.2604 through a conservative lens, focusing on fiscal responsibility, institutional stability, federalism, and the scope of government. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and any provisions that challenge this perspective.

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Individual rights and government power

Liberty lens

Examine H.R.2604 through a civil-liberties and limited-government lens. Consider individual rights, privacy, voluntary choice, accountability, and government power. Explain tradeoffs, possible safeguards, and the strongest counterarguments without assuming the proposal is beneficial or harmful.

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