(a) Establishment and purpose

(1)

There is established in the Department an independent Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance (hereafter in this section referred to as the ''Advisory Committee'') which shall provide advice and counsel to the Congress and to the Secretary on student financial aid matters.

(2)

The purpose of the Advisory Committee is -

(A)

to provide extensive knowledge and understanding of the Federal, State, and institutional programs of postsecondary student assistance;

(B)

to provide technical expertise with regard to systems of needs analysis and application forms; and

(C)

to make recommendations that will result in the maintenance of access to postsecondary education for low- and middle-income students.

(b) Independence of Advisory Committee

In the exercise of its functions, powers, and duties, the Advisory Committee shall be independent of the Secretary and the other offices and officers of the Department. Notwithstanding Department of Education policies and regulations, the Advisory Committee shall exert independent control of its budget allocations, expenditures and staffing levels, personnel decisions and processes, procurements, and other administrative and management functions. The Advisory Committee's administration and management shall be subject to the usual and customary Federal audit procedures. Reports, publications, and other documents of the Advisory Committee, including such reports, publications, and documents in electronic form, shall not be subject to review by the Secretary. The recommendations of the Committee shall not be subject to review or approval by any officer in the executive branch, but may be submitted to the Secretary for comment prior to submission to the Congress in accordance with subsection (f) of this section. The Secretary's authority to terminate advisory committees of the Department pursuant to section 1233g(b) (FOOTNOTE 1) of this title ceased to be effective on June 23, 1983.

(c) Membership

(1)

The Advisory Committee shall have 11 members of which -

(A)

3 members shall be appointed by the President pro tempore of the Senate upon the recommendation of the Majority Leader and the Minority Leader,

(B)

3 members shall be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives upon the recommendation of the Majority Leader and the Minority Leader, and

(C)

5 members shall be appointed by the Secretary including, but not limited to representatives of States, institutions of higher education, secondary schools, credit institutions, students, and parents.

(2)

Not less than 7 members of the Advisory Committee shall be individuals who have been appointed on the basis of technical qualifications, professional standing and demonstrated knowledge in the fields of higher education and student aid administration, need analysis, financing postsecondary education, student aid delivery, and the operations and financing of student loan guarantee agencies.

(d) Functions of the Committee

The Advisory Committee shall -

(1)

develop, review, and comment annually upon the system of needs analysis established under part E of this subchapter;

(2)

monitor, apprise, and evaluate the effectiveness of student aid delivery and recommend improvements;

(3)

recommend data collection needs and student information requirements which would improve access and choice for eligible students under this subchapter and part C of subchapter I of chapter 34 of title 42 and assist the Department of Education in improving the delivery of student aid;

(4)

assess the impact of legislative and administrative policy proposals;

(5)

review and comment upon, prior to promulgation, all regulations affecting programs under this subchapter and part C of subchapter I of chapter 34 of title 42, including proposed regulations;

(6)

recommend to the Congress and to the Secretary such studies, surveys, and analyses of student financial assistance programs, policies, and practices, including the special needs of low-income, disadvantaged, and nontraditional students, and the means by which the needs may be met, but nothing in this section shall authorize the committee to perform such studies, surveys, or analyses;

(7)

review and comment upon standards by which financial need is measured in determining eligibility for Federal student assistance programs;

(8)

appraise the adequacies and deficiencies of current student financial aid information resources and services and evaluate the effectiveness of current student aid information programs; and

(9)

make special efforts to advise Members of Congress and such Members' staff of the findings and recommendations made pursuant to this paragraph.

(e) Operations of the Committee

(1)

Each member of the Advisory Committee shall be appointed for a term of 3 years, except that, of the members first appointed -

(A)

4 shall be appointed for a term of 1 year;

(B)

4 shall be appointed for a term of 2 years; and

(C)

3 shall be appointed for a term of 3 years,

as designated at the time of appointment by the Secretary.

(2)

Any member appointed to fill a vacancy occurring prior to the expiration of the term of a predecessor shall be appointed only for the remainder of such term. A member of the Advisory Committee shall, upon request, continue to serve after the expiration of a term until a successor has been appointed. A member of the Advisory Committee may be reappointed to successive terms on the Advisory Committee.

(3)

No officers or full-time employees of the Federal Government shall serve as members of the Advisory Committee.

(4)

The Advisory Committee shall elect a Chairman and a Vice Chairman from among its members.

(5)

Six members of the Advisory Committee shall constitute a quorum.

(6)

The Advisory Committee shall meet at the call of the Chairman or a majority of its members.

(f) Submission to Department for comment

The Advisory Committee may submit its proposed recommendations to the Department of Education for comment for a period not to exceed 30 days in each instance.

(g) Compensation and expenses

Members of the Advisory Committee may each receive reimbursement for travel expenses incident to attending Advisory Committee meetings, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, as authorized by section 5703 of title 5, for persons in the Government service employed intermittently.

(h) Personnel and resources

(1)

The Advisory Committee may appoint such personnel as may be determined necessary by the Chairman without regard to the provisions of title 5 governing appointments in the competitive service, and may be paid without regard to the provisions of chapter 51 and subchapter III of chapter 53 of such title relating to classification and General Schedule pay rates, but no individual so appointed shall be paid in excess of the rate authorized for GS-18 of the General Schedule. The Advisory Committee may appoint not more than 1 full-time equivalent, nonpermanent, consultant without regard to the provisions of title 5. The Advisory Committee shall not be required by the Secretary to reduce personnel to meet agency personnel reduction goals.

(2)

In carrying out its duties under this chapter, the Advisory Committee shall consult with other Federal agencies, representatives of State and local governments, and private organizations to the extent feasible.

(3)

(A)

The Advisory Committee is authorized to secure directly from any executive department, bureau, agency, board, commission, office, independent establishment, or instrumentality information, suggestions, estimates, and statistics for the purpose of this section and each such department, bureau, agency, board, commission, office, independent establishment, or instrumentality is authorized and directed, to the extent permitted by law, to furnish such information, suggestions, estimates, and statistics directly to the Advisory Committee, upon request made by the Chairman.

(B)

The Advisory Committee may enter into contracts for the acquisition of information, suggestions, estimates, and statistics for the purpose of this section.

(4)

The Advisory Committee is authorized to obtain the services of experts and consultants without regard to section 3109 of title 5 and to set pay in accordance with such section.

(5)

The head of each Federal agency shall, to the extent not prohibited by law, cooperate with the Advisory Committee in carrying out this section.

(6)

The Advisory Committee is authorized to utilize, with their consent, the services, personnel, information, and facilities of other Federal, State, local, and private agencies with or without reimbursement.

(i) Availability of funds

In each fiscal year not less than $800,000, shall be available from the amount appropriated for each such fiscal year from salaries and expenses of the Department for the costs of carrying out the provisions of this section.

(j) Special analyses and activities

The Advisory Committee shall -

(1)

monitor and evaluate the modernization of student financial aid systems and delivery processes, including the implementation of a performance-based organization within the Department, and report to Congress regarding such modernization on not less than an annual basis, including recommendations for improvement;

(2)

assess the adequacy of current methods for disseminating information about programs under this subchapter and part C of subchapter I of chapter 34 of title 42 and recommend improvements, as appropriate, regarding early needs assessment and information for first-year secondary school students;

(3)

assess and make recommendations concerning the feasibility and degree of use of appropriate technology in the application for, and delivery and management of, financial assistance under this subchapter and part C of subchapter I of chapter 34 of title 42, as well as policies that promote use of such technology to reduce cost and enhance service and program integrity, including electronic application and reapplication, just-in-time delivery of funds, reporting of disbursements and reconciliation;

(4)

assess the implications of distance education on student eligibility and other requirements for financial assistance under this subchapter and part C of subchapter I of chapter 34 of title 42, and make recommendations that will enhance access to postsecondary education through distance education while maintaining access, through on-campus instruction at eligible institutions, and program integrity; and

(5)

make recommendations to the Secretary regarding redundant or outdated provisions of and regulations under this chapter, consistent with the Secretary's requirements under section 1099c-2 of this title.

(k) Term of Committee

Notwithstanding the sunset and charter provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act or any other statute or regulation, the Advisory Committee shall be authorized until October 1, 2004