For decades, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) forms were processed electronically by the legacy Central Processing System. In 2021 the Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) initiated a system development effort and in December 2023 deployed a new system to process forms for the 2024-2025 school year. However, student aid…

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the entry ramp to federal grants and loans that many students depend on to afford college. Congress passed the FAFSA Simplification Act in 2020 in part to make it easier to apply for federal aid. However, Education's rollout of the new FAFSA has suffered from numerous challenges and delays.…

Submitted to Congress by Senator William V. Roth, Jr., of the Committee on Governmental Affairs, this document reports favorably on Senate Bill 786 (the Information Age Commission Act of 1986), legislation designed to establish a commission to study the impact of computer and communications systems on American society. The report provides: (1) a…

During the past 12 years, encompassing the 95th through the 100th Congresses, hundreds of bills and resolutions have been introduced and debated that were concerned with information policy, related programs, and the ways in which advanced information technologies (computers, telecommunications, microform systems, video and audio devices) are…

This report considers the privacy issues raised by the growth of the new technology being applied to the personal information collected, maintained, and disseminated by the Federal Government. Four major areas are addressed: (1) technological developments relevant to government record systems; (2) current and prospective Federal agency use of…

The ability to collect, store, retrieve, and combine information in computerized databases has magnified the potential for misuse of information. Laws have begun to deal with these new threats by expanding rights of privacy, copyright, misrepresentation, products liability, and defamation. Laws regarding computerized databases are certain to…

This hearing explores how the High Performance Computing and Communications Program (HPCC) relates to the technology needs of industry. Testimony and prepared statements from the following witnesses on future effects of computing and networking technologies on their companies are included: (1) F. Brett Berlin, president, Brett Berlin Associates,…

This study enumerates statutes of the 98th Congress treating information-related concerns. Limited to public laws of a substantive nature, the topical overview of areas of congressional concern is divided into nine sections: (1) Federal Information Resources Management; (2) International Communications and Information Policy; (3)…

Eleven articles discuss informational and educational programs of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Some of the areas discussed include scientific and technical information management, the new Space and Earth Science Information Systems, transfer of technology to other industries, intellectual property issues, and the…

The House Armed Services Committee asked the GAO (General Accounting Office) to examine the HPCC (High Performance Computing and Communications) program in terms of: (1) the effectiveness of the program's management structure in setting goals and measuring progress, and (2) how extensively private industry has been involved in the planning and…

This statement of Cornelia M. Blanchette to the U.S. Senate Committee on Labor and Human Reources discusses Department of Education information management systems that support the financial aid programs authorized by Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended. These programs help the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP), the…