FY2016 Extension of the Higher Education Act: An Overview (CRS Report for Congress)
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| Release Date |
Revised Jan. 28, 2016 |
| Report Number |
R44206 |
| Report Type |
Report |
| Authors |
David P. Smole, Specialist in Education Policy; Alexandra Hegji, Analyst in Social Policy |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
| Older Revisions |
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Summary:
The Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA; P.L. 89-329), authorizes the operation of numerous federal aid programs that provide support both to individuals pursuing a postsecondary education and to institutions of higher education (IHEs). It also authorizes certain activities and functions. The HEA was first enacted in 1965. It has since been amended and extended numerous times, and it has been comprehensively reauthorized eight times. The most recent comprehensive reauthorization occurred in 2008 under the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA; P.L. 110-315), which authorized most HEA programs through FY2014. Many of the programs with HEA authorizations set to expire at the end of FY2014 were automatically extended through FY2015 under Section 422 of the General Education Provisions Act (GEPA). Additionally, many HEA programs due to expire at the end of FY2015 were extended through FY2016 under the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 (P.L. 114-113).
This report identifies provisions under the HEA that were, with GEPA extensions, set to expire at the end of FY2015. It also discusses authorization and appropriations options for extending the statutory authorities that are scheduled to lapse. These options include an explicit extension of, or an appropriation of funds for, these programs either through a regular appropriations measure or a continuing resolution. Finally, for all HEA mandatory and discretionary programs and activities, the report provides information on the authorization of appropriations or mandatory budget authority, the duration for which such authority is provided, the applicability of extensions under GEPA, and FY2016 appropriations and mandatory budget authority.
