HR 4898 — HALT Campus Sexual Violence Act of 2021

(a) Information dissemination activities (1) Each eligible institution participating in any program under this subchapter shall carry out information dissemination activities for prospective and enrolled students (including those attending or planning to attend less than full time) regarding the institution and all financial assistance under this subchapter. The information required by this section shall be produced and be made readily available upon request, through appropriate publications, mailings, and electronic media, to an enrolled student and to any prospective student. Each eligible institution shall, on an annual basis, provide to all enrolled students a list of the information that is required to be provided by institutions to students by this section and section 444 of the General Education Provisions Act [20 U.S.C. 1232g] (commonly known as the “Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974”), together with a statement of the procedures required to obtain such information. The information required by this section shall accurately describe— (A) the student financial assistance programs available to students who enroll at such institution; (B) the methods by which such assistance is distributed among student recipients who enroll at such institution; (C) any means, including forms, by which application for student financial assistance is made and requirements for accurately preparing such application; (D) the rights and responsibilities of students receiving financial assistance under this subchapter; (E) the cost of attending the institution, including (i) tuition and fees, (ii) books and supplies, (iii) estimates of typical student room and board costs or typical commuting costs, and (iv) any additional cost of the program in which the student is enrolled or expresses a specific interest; (F) a statement of— (i) the requirements of any refund policy with which the institution is required to comply; (ii) the requirements under section 1091b of this title for the return of grant or loan assistance provided under this subchapter; and (iii) the requirements for officially withdrawing from the institution; (G) the academic program of the institution, including (i) the current degree programs and other educational and training programs, (ii) the instructional, laboratory, and other physical plant facilities which relate to the academic program, (iii) the faculty and other instructional personnel, and (iv) any plans by the institution for improving the academic program of the institution; (H) each person designated under subsection (c) of this section, and the methods by which and locations in which any person so designated may be contacted by students and prospective students who are seeking information required by this subsection; (I) special facilities and services available to students with disabilities; (J) the names of associations, agencies, or governmental bodies which accredit, approve, or license the institution and its programs, and the procedures under which any current or prospective student may obtain or review upon request a copy of the documents describing the institution’s accreditation, approval, or licensing; (K) the standards which the student must maintain in order to be considered to be making satisfactory progress, pursuant to section 1091(a)(2) of this title; (L) the completion or graduation rate of certificate- or degree-seeking, full-time, undergraduate students entering such institutions; (M) the terms and conditions of the loans that students receive under parts B, D, and E; (N) that enrollment in a program of study abroad approved for credit by the home institution may be considered enrollment in the home institution for purposes of applying for Federal student financial assistance; (O) the campus crime report prepared by the institution pursuant to subsection (f), including all required reporting categories; (P) institutional policies and sanctions related to copyright infringement, i...

(a) In general The Secretary shall implement early outreach activities in order to provide prospective students and their families with information about financial aid and estimates of financial aid. Such early outreach activities shall include the activities described in subsections (b), (c), and (d). (b) Pell Grant early awareness estimates (1) In general The Secretary shall produce a consumer-tested method of estimating student eligibility for Federal Pell Grants under section 1070a(b) of this title utilizing the variables of family size and adjusted gross income, presented in electronic format. There shall be a method for students to indicate whether they are, or will be in— (A) a single-parent household; (B) a household with two parents; or (C) a household with no children or dependents. (2) Consumer testing (A) In general The method of estimating eligibility described in paragraph (1) shall be consumer tested with prospective first-generation students and families as well as low-income individuals and families. (B) Updates For award year 2024–2025 and each fourth succeeding award year thereafter, the design of the method of estimating eligibility shall be updated based on additional consumer testing with the populations described in subparagraph (A). (3) Distribution The method of estimating eligibility described in paragraph (1) shall be— (A) made publicly and prominently available on the Department’s website; and (B) actively shared by the Secretary with— (i) institutions of higher education participating in programs under this subchapter; (ii) all middle and secondary schools eligible for funds under part A of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 [20 U.S.C. 6311 et seq.]; (iii) local educational agencies and middle schools and high schools that serve students not less than 25 percent of whom meet a measure of poverty as described in section 1113(a)(5) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 [20 U.S.C. 6313(a)(5)]; and (iv) agencies responsible for administering means-tested Federal benefit programs, as defined in section 1087ss(b)(4)(H) of this title. (4) Electronic estimator on FAFSA In accordance with subsection (d)(5) of section 1090 of this title, the Secretary shall maintain an electronic method for applicants to enter income and family size, and level of education sought information to calculate a non-binding estimate (which may include a range, ceiling, or minimum) of the applicant’s Federal financial aid available under this subchapter and shall place such calculator on a prominent location on the FAFSA website and in a manner that encourages students to fill out the FAFSA. (c) Early awareness plans The Secretary shall establish and implement early awareness and outreach plans to provide early information about the availability of Federal financial aid and estimates of prospective students’ eligibility for Federal financial aid as well as to promote the attainment of postsecondary education specifically among prospective first-generation students and families as well as low-income individuals and families, as follows: (1) Outreach plans for low-income families (A) In general The Secretary shall develop plans for each population described in this subparagraph to disseminate information about the availability of Federal financial aid under this subchapter, in addition to and in coordination with the distribution of the method of estimating eligibility under subsection (b), to— (i) all middle schools and secondary schools eligible for funds under part A of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 [20 U.S.C. 6311 et seq.]; (ii) local educational agencies and middle schools and high schools that serve students not less than 25 percent of whom meet a measure of poverty as described in section 1113(a)(5) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act [20 U.S.C. 6313(a)(5)]; (iii) households receiving assistance under the supplemental nutrition assistance p...

(a) Establishment; administration; delegation of functions There shall be in the Department an Office for Civil Rights, to be administered by the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights appointed under section 3412(b) of this title. Notwithstanding the provisions of section 3472 of this title, the Secretary shall delegate to the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights all functions, other than administrative and support functions, transferred to the Secretary under section 3441(a)(3) of this title. (b) Compliance and enforcement reports; copies submitted to Secretary (1) The Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights shall make an annual report to the Secretary, the President, and the Congress summarizing the compliance and enforcement activities of the Office for Civil Rights and identifying significant civil rights or compliance problems as to which such Office has made a recommendation for corrective action and as to which, in the judgment of the Assistant Secretary, adequate progress is not being made. (2) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the report required by paragraph (1) shall be transmitted to the Secretary, the President, and the Congress by the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights without further clearance or approval. The Assistant Secretary shall provide copies of the report required by paragraph (1) to the Secretary sufficiently in advance of its submission to the President and the Congress to provide a reasonable opportunity for comments of the Secretary to be appended to the report. (c) Authority of Assistant Secretary In addition to the authority otherwise provided under this section, the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, in carrying out the provisions of this section, is authorized— (1) to collect or coordinate the collection of data necessary to ensure compliance with civil rights laws within the jurisdiction of the Office for Civil Rights; (2) to select, appoint, and employ such officers and employees, including staff attorneys, as may be necessary to carry out the functions of such Office, subject to the provisions of title 5 governing appointments in the competitive service and the provisions of chapter 51 and subchapter III of chapter 53 of such title relating to classification and General Schedule pay rates; (3) to enter into contracts and other arrangements for audits, studies, analyses, and other services with public agencies and with private organizations and persons, and to make such payments as may be necessary to carry out the compliance and enforcement functions of such Office; and (4) notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, to obtain services as authorized by section 3109 of title 5 at a rate not to exceed the equivalent daily rate payable for grade GS–18 of the General Schedule under section 5332 of such title.