Nominations are being sought by the Department of Education for negotiators who represent various sectors impacted by proposed regulations.
An April 3 press release by the Department of Education states that a Federal Register Notice will be published on April 4 announcing the Department of Education’s intent to receive public feedback for the development of proposed regulations and to establish a Negotiated Rulemaking Committee.
One or more negotiated rulemaking committees will be formed to develop proposed regulations pertaining to Title IV regulations. Proposed topics for negotiation include:
- Refining definitions of a qualifying employer for the purpose of determining eligibility for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.
- Pay As You Earn (PAYE) and Income Contingent Repayment (ICR) repayment plans.
- Potential topics that would streamline current federal student financial assistance program regulations while maintaining or improving program integrity and institutional quality.
Another Federal Register Notice will be published announcing the topics of PSLF, PAYE, ICR, or other current federal student financial assistance program-related topics.
Two public hearings will be held by the Department at the U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave. SW, Barnard Auditorium, Washington, DC 20202. An in-person public hearing will be held on April 29 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. (Eastern). A virtual public hearing will be held on May 1 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. (Eastern).
Additional information on the public hearings is available at https://www.ed.gov/laws-and-policy/highereducation-laws-and-policy/higher-education-policy/negotiatedrulemaking-for-higher-education-2025-2026.
