Earlier today, ED announced that it plans to hold virtual public hearings on June 21, 23, and 24 to receive stakeholder feedback on potential issues for future rulemaking sessions.
As highlighted in ED’s announcement, potential topics may include:
- Ability to benefit
- Borrower defense to repayment
- Certification procedures for participation in federal financial aid programs
- Change of ownership and change in control of institutions of higher education
- Closed school discharges
- Discharges for borrowers with a total and permanent disability
- Discharges for false certification of student eligibility
- Financial responsibility for participating institutions of higher education, such as events that indicate heightened financial risk
- Gainful employment
- Income-contingent loan repayment plans
- Mandatory pre-dispute arbitration and prohibition of class action lawsuits provisions in institutions’ enrollment agreements
- Pell Grant eligibility for prison education programs
- Public service loan forgiveness
- Standards of administrative capability
The press release can be viewed here:
https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/department-educations-office-postsecondary-education-announces-public-hearings-protections-students-loan-repayment-targeted-loan-cancellation-programs-and-other-higher-education-regulations
This series of hearings come on the heels of the Office of Civil Rights’ prior announcement of virtual hearings earlier in the month of June 7-11 to receive stakeholder feedback on issues related to revisions of the Trump Administration’s rewrite of the Title IX regulations that went into effect August of 2020.
