Higher Education Technical Amendments Act of 1987
Public Law 100-50 · H.R. 1846 · 100th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on Jun 3, 1987 · Education
Sponsor: Rep. John Williams (D-MT-1)
Cosponsors (25): Rep. William Ford, Rep. Jim Jeffords,
Passage votes
- HouseUnanimous consent
- SenateVoice vote
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Higher Education Technical Amendments Act of 1987 - Amends provisions of the Higher Education Act of 1965 relating to: (1) a minimum program grant amount to be awarded to Morehouse School of Medicine; (2) the selection criteria for institutional challenge grant eligibility, including provisions for the waiver of given requirements in certain cases when the Secretary of Education (Secretary) determines that such a waiver will substantially increase higher education opportunities appropriate to the needs of American Indians; (3) the establishment of a review panel to read all applications for institutional aid and to make recommendations to the Secretary as to whether a grant should be awarded in any particular case; (4) notification requirements under which the Secretary shall inform institutions applying for grants of the results of panel review and the reasons for any grant award or refusal; (5) the exclusion of proceeds of the forced sale of farm or business assets for purposes of computing family contributions in Pell grant eligibility determinations; (6) the inclusion of one-half of veterans' education benefits in Pell grant calculations of effective family income resources; (7) the value of a principal residence for the purpose of computations to determine Pell grant eligibility in certain cases involving dislocated workers or displaced homemakers; (8) the definition of "dependent of the parent" for Pell grant purposes; (9) excludable income for Pell grant eligibility purposes, including special provisions applicable to Native American students; (10) the definition of "untaxed income and benefits" for the purpose of computing annual adjusted family income in Pell grant eligibility determinations; (11) the formula used in assessing institutional need for purposes of the allocation of funding for supplemental educational opportunity grants; (12) designation of the Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program as the Ronald E. McNair-Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program; (13) authorizations for the high school equivalency and the college assistance migrant programs; (14) special child care services for disadvantaged college students; (15) per student aggregate loan limits; (16) variable interest rates on supplemental and PLUS loans, and the limitation, repayment, and refinancing criteria applicable to such loans; (17) supplemental, PLUS, and direct loan deferments, including provisions covering certain health professionals in internship and residency programs; (18) consolidation loans; (19) insurance program agreements to qualify loans for interest subsidies; (20) guaranty agreements for reimbursing loans; (21) State garnishment law requirements; (22) agreements between eligible institutions and holders of delinquent loans made to borrower-attendees to provide specified information regarding such borrowers; (23) conditions under which an institution of higher learning or vocational school may be an eligible lender under the student loan insurance program; (24) certain spending requirements applicable to institutions engaged in job location and development programs; (25) the computation of the interest rate on loans under the income contingent direct loan demonstration project; (26) the allocation formula, notice of default requirement, and estimates of balances procedures applicable to the direct student loan program; (27) the financial needs assessment of students, including provisions governing untaxed income and benefits, excludable income, adjustments for enrollment periods other than nine months, the applicable Consumer Price Index, simplified needs analysis, treatment of income from forced sales, family contribution for Native American students, the definition of "assets," and the discretion of a student financial aid administrator to make necessary adjustments to allow for the treatment of individual students with special circumstances; (28) a requirement that the Secretary develop and use a simplified application form for families submitting information for a simplified needs analysis for financial aid purposes; (29) an increase from three to five in the required number of multiple data entry processors, together with directions to the Secretary prohibiting selection of any new processors until the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance (Advisory Committee) has studied and made recommendations concerning the appropriate type and number of processors and the cost of processing applications; (30) student eligibility requirements; (31) funding for the Advisory Committee; (32) a requirement that the Advisory Committee conduct a thorough study of institutional lender policy and submit a report on such study to specified congressional committees no later than two years following this Act's enactment; (33) the leadership in educational administration development program; (34) the designation of scholarships awarded under the Congressional Teacher Scholarship Program as Paul Douglas Teacher Scholarships and the interest rate applicable in cases of repayment of such awards; (35) the eligibility of preschool teachers for the Congressional Teacher Scholarship Program; and (36) a requirement that all applications submitted under such Act that require peer review be read by a panel of readers selected by the Secretary, including persons outside of the Federal Government.
Amends the Higher Education Amendments of 1986 relating to: (1) effective dates; (2) the conduct of certain required studies; and (3) a requirement that the National Academy of Sciences submit to the Congress a report on its study on how volunteers can be used in the classroom.
Amends the General Education Provisions Act concerning: (1) the use of excess appropriations to assist education resources information clearinghouses; and (2) the disposition of certain funds received by the Center for Education Statistics.
Amends the United States Institute of Peace Act to authorize the establishment of the Jeannette Rankin Research Program on Peace.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 12 actions.
- Jun 3, 1987Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 100-50.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- May 28, 1987PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- May 20, 1987Resolving differencesResolving differences · House Agreed to Senate Amendments by Unanimous Consent.
- May 19, 1987FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Voice Vote.
- FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
- Apr 23, 1987FloorFloor · Received in the Senate and read twice and held at the desk by unanimous consent. Pursuant to the order of April 21, 1987.
- Apr 21, 1987FloorFloor · Passed House (Amended) by Voice Vote.
- Apr 7, 1987CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Education and Workforce Committee
- Apr 1, 1987CommitteeCommittee · Markup by House Education and Workforce Committee
- Mar 30, 1987CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Education and Workforce Committee
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the House
Data notes
Shows the introduction, each committee and subcommittee step the source dates (referral, hearings, markup, report, discharge), and the floor, conference, presidential and became-law steps. Calendar placements, messages between the chambers, amendments and committee report numbers are not shown for laws before the 108th Congress. Two entries the source lists twice are shown once.
Official record
The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.