H.R. 2040: Student Financial Aid Simplification Act

113th Congress · introduced 2013-05-16 · Education · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2013-05-16 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Welch, Peter [D-VT-At Large] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Student Financial Aid Simplification Act

Plain summary

Student Financial Aid Simplification Act - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to determine students' need and eligibility for title IV assistance, unless they qualify for the simplified needs test or expect no family contribution, by using tax return information regarding those students or their parents that this Act authorizes the Secretary of Education to obtain from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Requires those students to submit to the Secretary certain supplementary information not available from the IRS. Requires the Secretary to provide institutions of higher education and states with that tax return information, without charge, for the purposes of processing loan applications and determining need and eligibility for institutional and state financial aid. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to authorize the Secretary of the Treasury to disclose tax return information to the Department of Education regarding taxpayers or their dependents whose need and eligibility for assistance under title IV of the HEA is based in whole or part on their income or their parents' income.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Student Financial Aid Simplification Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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The strongest published arguments

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Welch, Peter [D-VT-At Large] · 1 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Welch, Peter [D-VT-At Large] reported raising $248,839 (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (1)

Authorization: A law that creates or continues a government program and says what it may do, often with a suggested spending ceiling. An authorization alone does not provide money; a separate appropriation does.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-113hr2040.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/113/hr>

Record fed-us-cong113-hr2040 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong113 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong113