FAFSA Simplification Act Changes for Implementation in the 2023-2024 Award Year, 66683-66684 [2022-24045]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 213 / Friday, November 4, 2022 / Notices khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES the following agencies: USFWS under the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act; USFWS under the Endangered Species Act; Arkansas Department of Environment and Energy and Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation for Water Quality Certification; and, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP), Tennessee and Arkansas State Historic Preservation Offices (SHPOs), and the appropriate Tribal Historic Preservation Officers under the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) and integrated NHPA/EIS process. The non-Federal sponsor, the LMRCC, is comprised of the 12 state wildlife and water quality agencies from the six states bordering the LMR, and works in cooperation with the USFWS, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), USACE, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and various conservation focused non-governmental organizations (NGOs). These agencies have been active in the preceding LMRRA Report and current study to date and continued coordination is expected throughout the study process. 6. Public Participation USACE invites all affected federal, state, and local agencies, affected Native American Tribes, other interested parties, and the general public to participate in the NEPA process during development of the DIFR–EIS. The purpose of the public scoping process is to provide information to the public, narrow the scope of analysis to significant environmental issues, serve as a mechanism to solicit agency and public input on the identification of potential alternatives, information, and analyses relevant to the proposed action, and ensure full and open participation in scoping for the draft SEIS. Scoping and other study related information will continue to be made available on the project website at: https://www.mvm.usace.army.mil/ Missions/Environmental-Stewardship/ Hatchie-Loosahatchie-Mississippi-RiverEcosystem-Restoration-Study/. To ensure that public comments are considered in DIFR–EIS development process, members of the public, interested persons and entities must submit their comments to USACE by mail, email, or at the Scoping Meeting(s). Written comments submitted for consideration are due 30 days from the date of this Notice of Intent. Please include your name and return address on the first page of written comments. All personally VerDate Sep<11>2014 18:12 Nov 03, 2022 Jkt 259001 identifiable information (for example, name, address, etc.) voluntarily submitted by a commenter may be publicly accessible. Do not submit confidential business information or otherwise sensitive or protected information. Public scoping meeting(s) will be held at various locations around the study area during the scoping period which extends 30 days from the date of this Notice of Intent, to present information and receive comments from the public. Notification of the scoping meeting(s) will be publicly announced in advance by USACE on the project website at: https://www.mvm.usace.army.mil/ Missions/Environmental-Stewardship/ Hatchie-Loosahatchie-Mississippi-RiverEcosystem-Restoration-Study/, and through press releases, special public notices, and USACE-Memphis District social media platforms, at a minimum. 7. Availability The DIFR–EIS is presently scheduled to be available for public review and comment in early 2023. A final IFR–EIS is tentatively scheduled for release in May 2024. James A. Bodron, Regional Business Director, Mississippi Valley Division. [FR Doc. 2022–24019 Filed 11–3–22; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3720–58–P DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION FAFSA Simplification Act Changes for Implementation in the 2023–2024 Award Year Office of Postsecondary Education, Department of Education. ACTION: Notice. AGENCY: The U.S. Department of Education (Department) publishes this notice, as required by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022, of the phased implementation of some elements of the FAFSA Simplification Act for the 2023– 2024 award year. This notice also addresses other rules that will take effect for the 2023–2024 award year as part of the FAFSA Simplification Act. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Vanessa Gomez or Brian Schelling, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave. SW, Room 2C179 or 2C188, Washington, DC 20202. Telephone: (202) 453–6708 or (202) 453–5966. Email: Vanessa.Gomez@ed.gov or Brian.Schelling@ed.gov. If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability and wish to access telecommunications relay services, please dial 7–1–1. SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00045 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 66683 Enacted into law as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, Division FF, Title VII (116 Pub. L. 260), the FAFSA Simplification Act makes many significant changes to the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA), regarding the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form, need analysis, and related policies and procedures for schools that participate in the title IV, HEA programs. Due to the magnitude of these changes and to ensure that both the Department and the higher education community were prepared to fully implement the FAFSA Simplification Act, in June 2021, Federal Student Aid (FSA) announced a phased approach to implementation.1 As part of this approach, in the FAFSA Simplification Act Technical Corrections Act, Division R (117 Pub. L. 103) of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022 (CAA 2022), Congress extended the full implementation of the FAFSA Simplification Act until the 2024–2025 award year while also enabling the Department to implement the following elements in the 2023– 2024 award year: 1. Section 702(b) of the FAFSA Simplification Act regarding cost of attendance. 2. Section 702(i) regarding discretion of student financial aid administrators. However, the system change required by this section’s provisional independent student status will not be implemented until the FAFSA Simplification Act is fully integrated into our new systems for the 2024–2025 award year. 3. Section 702(l) regarding special rules for independent students and definitions for independent students and determinations but excluding the revised definitions for veteran and marital status, which will be implemented in the 2024–2025 award year. 4. Section 703 regarding only the period of eligibility for Pell grants under section 401(d) of the HEA, as amended by the FAFSA Simplification Act. Under the CAA 2022, the Department must announce in the Federal Register implementation of any of the above elements for the 2023–2024 award year. Accordingly, the Department announces that it will implement all the provisions described above for the 2023–2024 award year. Certain provisions, including sections 702(b), 702(i), and 702(l) of the FAFSA Simplification Act, require institutions to develop policies SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 1 https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/ library/electronic-announcements/2021-06-11/ beginning-phased-implementation-fafsasimplification-act-ea-id-general-21-39. E:\FR\FM\04NON1.SGM 04NON1 khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES 66684 Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 213 / Friday, November 4, 2022 / Notices and procedures that address the updated requirements for students who apply for title IV, HEA student assistance prior to the beginning of that award year. Institutions must comply with the new statutory requirements when calculating awards of title IV, HEA programs for the 2023–2024 award year; performing professional judgments under the discretion of financial aid administrators for awards from that award year; and establishing a student’s dependency status for that award year, even if such activities occur prior to the beginning of the 2023–2024 award year on July 1, 2023. We will provide more detailed guidance on the changes for cost of attendance, professional judgment, and independent student statuses for the 2023–2024 Award Year in an upcoming Dear Colleague Letter. The Department also announces that it will implement new rules establishing Pell Grant eligibility for incarcerated students in Federal and State penal institutions as well as new rules governing the prison education programs in which these students will be enrolled. Although these rules are not specifically addressed in the CAA 2022, they will also be in effect for the 2023–2024 award year, as authorized in section 702(n) of the FAFSA Simplification Act. Because these are complex topics, the Department is developing additional guidance on these rules and policies. Accessible Format: On request to the program contact person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, individuals with disabilities can obtain this document in an accessible format. The Department will provide the requestor with an accessible format that may include Rich Text Format (RTF) or text format (txt), a thumb drive, an MP3 file, braille, large print, audiotape, or compact disc, or other accessible format. Electronic Access to This Document: The official version of this document is the document published in the Federal Register. You may access the official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations at www.govinfo.gov. At this site you can view this document, as well as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal Register, in text or Portable Document Format (PDF). To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at the site. You may also access documents of the Department published in the Federal Register by using the article search feature at www.federalregister.gov. Specifically, through the advanced search feature at this site, you can limit VerDate Sep<11>2014 18:12 Nov 03, 2022 Jkt 259001 your search to documents published by the Department. Nasser H. Paydar, Assistant Secretary, Office of Postsecondary Education. [FR Doc. 2022–24045 Filed 11–3–22; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4000–01–P DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION [Docket No. ED–2022–SCC–0138] Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2023–24 (ECLS– K:2024) Kindergarten and First-Grade National Data Collection and Transfer School Recruitment Institute of Educational Sciences (IES), Department of Education (ED). ACTION: Notice. AGENCY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, ED is proposing a revision of a currently approved information collection request. DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before January 3, 2023. ADDRESSES: To access and review all the documents related to the information collection listed in this notice, please use https://www.regulations.gov by searching the Docket ID number ED– 2022–SCC–0138. Comments submitted in response to this notice should be submitted electronically through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at https:// www.regulations.gov by selecting the Docket ID number or via postal mail, commercial delivery, or hand delivery. If the regulations.gov site is not available to the public for any reason, ED will temporarily accept comments at ICDocketMgr@ed.gov. Please include the docket ID number and the title of the information collection request when requesting documents or submitting comments. Please note that comments submitted by fax or email and those submitted after the comment period will not be accepted. Written requests for information or comments submitted by postal mail or delivery should be addressed to the PRA Coordinator of the Strategic Collections and Clearance Governance and Strategy Division, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave. SW, LBJ, Room 6W208B, Washington, DC 20202–8240. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For specific questions related to collection activities, please contact Carrie Claraday, 202–245–6347. SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00046 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 The Department, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)), provides the general public and Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed, revised, and continuing collections of information. This helps the Department assess the impact of its information collection requirements and minimize the public’s reporting burden. It also helps the public understand the Department’s information collection requirements and provide the requested data in the desired format. ED is soliciting comments on the proposed information collection request (ICR) that is described below. The Department is especially interested in public comment addressing the following issues: (1) is this collection necessary to the proper functions of the Department; (2) will this information be processed and used in a timely manner; (3) is the estimate of burden accurate; (4) how might the Department enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (5) how might the Department minimize the burden of this collection on the respondents, including through the use of information technology. Please note that written comments received in response to this notice will be considered public records. Title of Collection: Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2023–24 (ECLS–K:2024) Kindergarten and First-Grade National Data Collection and Transfer School Recruitment. OMB Control Number: 1850–0750. Type of Review: A revision of a currently approved collection. Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals and Households. Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 159,964. Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 110,186. Abstract: The Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS) program, conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) within the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) of the U.S. Department of Education (ED), draws together information from multiple sources to provide rich, descriptive data on child development, early learning, and school progress. The ECLS program studies deliver national data on children’s status at birth and at various points thereafter; children’s transitions to nonparental care, early care and education programs, and school; and children’s experiences and growth through the elementary grades. The Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2023–24 SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: E:\FR\FM\04NON1.SGM 04NON1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 213 (Friday, November 4, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66683-66684]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-24045]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


FAFSA Simplification Act Changes for Implementation in the 2023-
2024 Award Year

AGENCY: Office of Postsecondary Education, Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Education (Department) publishes this 
notice, as required by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022, of 
the phased implementation of some elements of the FAFSA Simplification 
Act for the 2023-2024 award year. This notice also addresses other 
rules that will take effect for the 2023-2024 award year as part of the 
FAFSA Simplification Act.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Vanessa Gomez or Brian Schelling, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave. SW, Room 2C179 or 2C188, 
Washington, DC 20202. Telephone: (202) 453-6708 or (202) 453-5966. 
Email: [email protected] or [email protected]. If you are deaf, 
hard of hearing, or have a speech disability and wish to access 
telecommunications relay services, please dial 7-1-1.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Enacted into law as part of the Consolidated 
Appropriations Act, 2021, Division FF, Title VII (116 Pub. L. 260), the 
FAFSA Simplification Act makes many significant changes to the Higher 
Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA), regarding the Free Application 
for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA[supreg]) form, need analysis, and 
related policies and procedures for schools that participate in the 
title IV, HEA programs. Due to the magnitude of these changes and to 
ensure that both the Department and the higher education community were 
prepared to fully implement the FAFSA Simplification Act, in June 2021, 
Federal Student Aid (FSA) announced a phased approach to 
implementation.\1\ As part of this approach, in the FAFSA 
Simplification Act Technical Corrections Act, Division R (117 Pub. L. 
103) of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022 (CAA 2022), Congress 
extended the full implementation of the FAFSA Simplification Act until 
the 2024-2025 award year while also enabling the Department to 
implement the following elements in the 2023-2024 award year:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/library/electronic-announcements/2021-06-11/beginning-phased-implementation-fafsa-simplification-act-ea-id-general-21-39.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    1. Section 702(b) of the FAFSA Simplification Act regarding cost of 
attendance.
    2. Section 702(i) regarding discretion of student financial aid 
administrators. However, the system change required by this section's 
provisional independent student status will not be implemented until 
the FAFSA Simplification Act is fully integrated into our new systems 
for the 2024-2025 award year.
    3. Section 702(l) regarding special rules for independent students 
and definitions for independent students and determinations but 
excluding the revised definitions for veteran and marital status, which 
will be implemented in the 2024-2025 award year.
    4. Section 703 regarding only the period of eligibility for Pell 
grants under section 401(d) of the HEA, as amended by the FAFSA 
Simplification Act.
    Under the CAA 2022, the Department must announce in the Federal 
Register implementation of any of the above elements for the 2023-2024 
award year. Accordingly, the Department announces that it will 
implement all the provisions described above for the 2023-2024 award 
year. Certain provisions, including sections 702(b), 702(i), and 702(l) 
of the FAFSA Simplification Act, require institutions to develop 
policies

[[Page 66684]]

and procedures that address the updated requirements for students who 
apply for title IV, HEA student assistance prior to the beginning of 
that award year. Institutions must comply with the new statutory 
requirements when calculating awards of title IV, HEA programs for the 
2023-2024 award year; performing professional judgments under the 
discretion of financial aid administrators for awards from that award 
year; and establishing a student's dependency status for that award 
year, even if such activities occur prior to the beginning of the 2023-
2024 award year on July 1, 2023. We will provide more detailed guidance 
on the changes for cost of attendance, professional judgment, and 
independent student statuses for the 2023-2024 Award Year in an 
upcoming Dear Colleague Letter.
    The Department also announces that it will implement new rules 
establishing Pell Grant eligibility for incarcerated students in 
Federal and State penal institutions as well as new rules governing the 
prison education programs in which these students will be enrolled. 
Although these rules are not specifically addressed in the CAA 2022, 
they will also be in effect for the 2023-2024 award year, as authorized 
in section 702(n) of the FAFSA Simplification Act. Because these are 
complex topics, the Department is developing additional guidance on 
these rules and policies.
    Accessible Format: On request to the program contact person listed 
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, individuals with disabilities 
can obtain this document in an accessible format. The Department will 
provide the requestor with an accessible format that may include Rich 
Text Format (RTF) or text format (txt), a thumb drive, an MP3 file, 
braille, large print, audiotape, or compact disc, or other accessible 
format.
    Electronic Access to This Document: The official version of this 
document is the document published in the Federal Register. You may 
access the official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of 
Federal Regulations at www.govinfo.gov. At this site you can view this 
document, as well as all other documents of this Department published 
in the Federal Register, in text or Portable Document Format (PDF). To 
use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at 
the site.
    You may also access documents of the Department published in the 
Federal Register by using the article search feature at 
www.federalregister.gov. Specifically, through the advanced search 
feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents published 
by the Department.

Nasser H. Paydar,
Assistant Secretary, Office of Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. 2022-24045 Filed 11-3-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P
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