PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.
H.R.4504 / 106th Congress

Higher Education Technical Amendments of 2000

Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Official summary

Version 00 · Introduced in House · May 19, 2000

Higher Education Technical Amendments of 2000 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to make technical and other revisions of various HEA provisions.(Sec. 2) Revises HEA title I (General Provisions) to provide that graduate medical schools or veterinary schools outside the United States are not required to be public or nonprofit institutions. Requires that such veterinary schools be certified by the Secretary of Education as eligible to participate in certain student loan programs.Revises HEA requirements, under title III (Institutional Aid) part A (Strengthening Institutions), for grant applications and awards under programs for: (1) American Indian Tribal Colleges and Universities; and (2) Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions.Requires the Secretary to prescribe a simplified and streamlined format for such program grant applications that takes into account the limited number of institutions eligible for assistance.Prohibits any Tribal College or University or Alaska Native- or Native Hawaiian-serving institution that receives such program funds from concurrently receiving funds under other provisions of part A or part B (Strengthening Historically Black Colleges and Universities).Exempts such program grantees from a two-year wait-out-period requirement for eligibility for an additional grant.Directs the Secretary, in awarding such grants, to ensure maximum and equitable distribution among all eligible institutions, consistent with the competitive grant award process.Revises title III provisions relating to Howard University in Washington, D.C., and the University of the District of Columbia.Revises HEA title IV (Student Assistance) part A (Grants to Students in Attendance at Institutions of Higher Education) to allow grantees, under the Student Support Services (3S) program of TRIO (various programs of outreach to qualified individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds), to use funds for grant aid to students who participate in a 3S program while receiving a Pell Grant. Requires funds used for this purpose to be matched in cash from non-Federal sources in an amount that is at least 33 percent of such funds.Provides for a six-year grant award period under the GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) program under part A.Revises title IV part B (Federal Family Education Loan Program) to extend the duration of an exemption for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) from a requirement eliminating institutions with high default rates from student loan programs.Revises title IV part C (Work-Study Program) to allow payment for a reasonable amount of time spent in travel or training directly relater to eligible community service.Revises title IV part E (Perkins Loans) to specify that loans of a borrower performing a service, such as teaching, that are eligible for loan cancellation are to be reimbursed for interest as well as principal. Provides the benefits of the loan rehabilitation program to borrowers with defaulted loans who pay their loans in full with single payments, if the defaulted loans have not been reduced to judgment. Authorizes an institution or the Secretary to offer loan rehabilitation to such borrowers even if the defaulted loans have been reduced to judgment.Revises provisions for student loan cancellation for certain public service to provide that such service as a full-time Federal, State, or local law enforcement officer or corrections officer does not include service as a prosecutor or public defender.Revises title IV part G (General Provisions) to require the Secretary to provide at least 45 days for public comment after publication of any notice of proposed rule making.Specifies that a student convicted of a drug offense while enrolled and receiving financial aid is ineligible for financial aid during certain time periods. Provides that a student who fails to answer a specified question relating to such convictions on the common application form (the Free Application for Student Financial Aid or FAFSA) is ineligible for aid until such question is answered.Provides that students who are required to return grant funds shall not be required to return: (1) 50 percent of the total grant assistance received under title IV for a payment period or period of enrollment; or (2) amounts less than $50. Allows students to delay repayment of a grant: (1) for six months after withdrawing from school; or (2) while enrolled at least half-time.Provides that no new disclosure or reporting requirement shall be in effect until at least 180 days after final published regulations.Revises campus security provisions to require higher education institutions to: (1) include in the materials provided to students, faculty and the public a policy statement describing policies related to the handling of reports on missing students, including the institution's policy on notifying parents, guardians, and local police, and policies for investigating such reports and cooperating with local police in such investigations; (2) disclose their policies regarding the availability of information about registered sexually violent offenders received by the State, including a statement that they will disclose such information if the State provides it; and (3) disclose information about fire safety on their campuses, including statistics on fires and false alarms.Provides that no new disclosure or reporting requirement shall be in effect until at least 80 days after final published regulations.Makes appointments of congressional appointees to the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance effective upon publication in the Congressional Record.Revises HEA title V (Developing Institutions) part A (Hispanic-Serving Institutions) to exempt Hispanic-serving institution grantees from a two-year wait-out-period requirement for eligibility for an additional grant.Amends the Higher Education Amendments of 1998 to authorize appropriations for FY 2001 for the Web- Based Education Commission.

Read the summary on Congress.gov
PlainBill analysis is coming later. This page presents official source data. We have not yet published a PlainBill explanation for this bill.

Who introduced it

Rep. McKeon, Howard P. "Buck" [R-CA-25] · R–CA

Committees

  • Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee
  • Education and Workforce Committee
4 cosponsorship records, including any withdrawals

Actions

A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.

  1. Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

  2. Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.

  3. On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H4181-4185)

  4. Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.(text: CR H4181-4185)

  5. DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 4504.

  6. Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H4181-4188)

  7. Mr. McKeon moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.

  8. Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 371.

  9. Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Education and the Workforce. H. Rept. 106-665.

  10. Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Education and the Workforce. H. Rept. 106-665.

  11. Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.

  12. Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.

  13. Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.

  14. Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E785)

  15. Introduced in House

  16. 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

No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.

Source last updated: Jul 21, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.

Explore the bill from different angles

Choose a perspective, copy a prompt, and paste it into your preferred AI. Each prompt includes the bill version and available official source links, and asks for counterarguments as well as supporting evidence.

Neutral evidence review

Objective

Analyze H.R.4504 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.

View full prompt & sources
Fairness and public impact

Progressive lens

Examine H.R.4504 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.

View full prompt & sources
Institutions and government scope

Conservative lens

Examine H.R.4504 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.

View full prompt & sources
Individual rights and government power

Liberty lens

Examine H.R.4504 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.

View full prompt & sources