House Committee Passes Bipartisan Bill to Move FAFSA Deadline to October 1

​In response to the Department of Education's disastrous rollout of the new FAFSA earlier this year, the House Education and the Workforce Committee voted in an overwhelmingly bipartisan manner Wednesday to move forward with the FAFSA Deadline Act.

Along with a group of higher education associations, ACE sent a letter in advance of the vote supporting the legislation, which aligns with the recommendations ACE sent to Congress in May.

The bill would require that the FAFSA be made available each year by Oct. 1, moving the deadline mandated by the Higher Education Act up from Jan. 1. An amendment to the bill introduced by Rep. Bob Good (R-VA) requires the secretary of education to certify to Congress by Sept. 1 whether the FAFSA will be ready by Oct. 1. If the secretary certifies in the negative or doesn't certify at all, they will need to testify before the committee. Back in May, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona told the committee he does expect the FAFSA will be ready by Oct. 1.

During debate on the bill, Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA) pointed out that while he hopes the form will be ready on time, a strict deadline might increase the chances of mistakes. Adding to the complexity, Republicans have been focused on cutting student aid and funding for the Department of Education, which could make these issues even more challenging. Scott did not vote for the bill, although he did approve the Good amendment.

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, has introduced companion legislation in that chamber, but the committee has not scheduled a markup.