H.R. 7892 · 119th Congress

No Aid for Ghost Students Act of 2026

Introduced on Mar 12, 2026 by Burgess Owens (R-UT-4). 4 cosponsors, all from the sponsor's party. Latest action (Jun 11, 2026): Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Stage
Passed one chamber
Introduced
Mar 12, 2026
Cosponsors
4
0 from the other party
Policy area
Education
Open in the Congress explorerCongress.govAlert me

Progress

The furthest stage the measure reached. Simple and concurrent resolutions do not go to the President.

  1. Introduced
  2. Reported by committee
  3. Passed one chamber
  4. 4Passed both chambers
  5. 5Sent to the President
  6. 6Became law

Official title

To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require to the Secretary of Education to use an identity fraud detection system to review each FAFSA to determine whether the FAFSA presents a reasonable suspicion of identity fraud.

Subjects

  • Computer security and identity theft
  • Computers and information technology
  • Congressional oversight
  • Government lending and loan guarantees
  • Higher education
  • Student aid and college costs

Summary

By the Congressional Research Service (Reported to House, May 26, 2026). Public domain.

No Aid for Ghost Students Act of 2026

This bill requires the Department of Education (ED) to establish an identity fraud detection system for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Beginning on October 1, 2026, ED must use an identity fraud detection system to review each submitted application to determine whether the applicant presents a reasonable suspicion of identity fraud. If ED makes such a determination, it must notify the applicant and each institution of higher education (IHE) designated on the application that the applicant is subject to additional identity verification.

An IHE may not disburse federal financial aid to an applicant that presents a reasonable suspicion of fraud unless the IHE verifies the applicant's identity in person or by live video. If the applicant's identity is confirmed, the IHE must notify ED that the applicant's identity has been verified.

ED must establish guidelines for the identity verification procedures conducted by IHEs.

(On April 26, 2026, ED began implementing a real-time identity fraud detection process within the FAFSA form that places applicants into one of four risk categories. High-risk applicants must confirm their identity by presenting documentation during the online application process, including via a live camera process. Applicants who are rejected via this automated process must then have their identity verified in person by IHEs.)

Sponsor and cosponsors

Cosponsors by party as of the day they signed on. Original cosponsors signed on the day of introduction.

Burgess OwensR-UT-4Sponsor

Independents · 1

Republicans · 3

Roll calls

Recorded votes on the measure. Most measures move by voice vote or unanimous consent, which record no individual positions.

  1. On Passage
    Jun 10, 2026· House· Passage· Passed 249–172

History

Every action as published, oldest first. Roll calls link to how each member voted.

  1. Mar 12, 2026Introduced in House
  2. Mar 12, 2026Introduced in House
  3. Mar 12, 2026 · HouseReferred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
  4. Mar 17, 2026 · HouseCommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
  5. Mar 17, 2026 · HouseOrdered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 30 - 3.
  6. May 26, 2026Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Education and Workforce. H. Rept. 119-669.
  7. May 26, 2026 · HouseReported (Amended) by the Committee on Education and Workforce. H. Rept. 119-669.
  8. May 26, 2026 · HousePlaced on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 583.
  9. Jun 3, 2026 · HouseRules Committee Resolution H. Res. 1333 Reported to House. Rule provides for consideration of H.R. 8646, H.R. 7726, H.R. 7892 and H.R. 8872. The resolution provides for consideration of H.R. 8646 under a structured rule and H.R. 7726, H.R. 7892, and H.R. 8872 under a closed rule, with one hour of general debate on each bill. The resolution provides for one motion to recommit on each bill.
  10. Jun 9, 2026 · HouseConsidered under the provisions of rule H. Res. 1333. (consideration: CR H4037-4044; text of amendment in the nature of a substitute: CR H4037-4038)
  11. Jun 9, 2026 · HouseRule provides for consideration of H.R. 8646, H.R. 7726, H.R. 7892 and H.R. 8872. The resolution provides for consideration of H.R. 8646 under a structured rule and H.R. 7726, H.R. 7892, and H.R. 8872 under a closed rule, with one hour of general debate on each bill. The resolution provides for one motion to recommit on each bill.
  12. Jun 9, 2026 · HouseDEBATE - The House proceeded with one hour of debate on H.R. 7892.
  13. Jun 9, 2026 · HouseThe previous question was ordered pursuant to the rule.
  14. Jun 9, 2026 · HousePOSTPONED PROCEEDINGS - At the conclusion of debate on H.R. 7892, the Chair put the question on passage of the bill and by voice vote, announced the ayes had prevailed. Mr. Scott (VA) demanded the yeas and nays and the Chair postponed further proceedings until a time to be announced.
  15. Jun 10, 2026 · HouseConsidered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H4076-4077)
  16. Jun 10, 2026Passed/agreed to in House: On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 249 - 172 (Roll no. 217).House · Roll call 217
  17. Jun 10, 2026 · HouseOn passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 249 - 172 (Roll no. 217).House · Roll call 217
  18. Jun 10, 2026 · HouseMotion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  19. Jun 11, 2026 · SenateReceived in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Committees

Committees and subcommittees the measure was referred to.

Agencies in its committees' jurisdiction

Analisa's mapping of committee jurisdiction to federal agencies; the bill may touch others, or none of these.

Who lobbied on it

Organizations whose lobbying reports (LD-2) name this measure. Spending is what they reported for those quarters on all issues, not on this measure alone.

  1. AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF COMMUNITY COLLEGES2 reports
    $80K reported (all issues)
  2. American Council on Education2 reports
    $114.6K reported (all issues)Federal contractor: AMERICAN COUNCIL ON EDUCATION$5M in contracts, FY2026AI match · 100%
  3. BM Technologies, Inc.2 reports
    $70K reported (all issues)
  4. University of Phoenix, Inc.2 reports
    $850K reported (all issues)
  5. American Federation of Teachers1 report
    $410K reported (all issues)
  6. Career Education Colleges & Universities (FKA Ass'n of Private Sector Colleges a1 report
    $100K reported (all issues)
  7. Heritage Action for America1 report
    $140K reported (all issues)
  8. ROCHESTER INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY1 report
    $10K reported (all issues)Federal contractor: ROCHESTER INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY$59.1K in contracts, FY2026AI match · 100%
  9. Service Employees International Union CTW-CLC1 report
    $300K reported (all issues)
  10. UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER1 report
    $220K reported (all issues)Federal contractor: UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER$7M in contracts, FY2026AI match · 100%
  11. University of New Hampshire1 report

Reports filed in 2026.

Sources and method

Every figure on this page traces to these records.

  • Bill status: bills and resolutions, sponsors, actions, subjects and CRS summaries (U.S. Government Publishing Office (GovInfo), from Congress.gov (Library of Congress))GovInfo Bill Status bulk data (Congress.gov; summaries by the Congressional Research Service) · data current to Oct 7, 2026 · loaded Oct 7, 2026 · license: Public domain (U.S. Government work, 17 U.S.C. § 105)
  • Members of Congress, their terms, committees and identifiers (The @unitedstates project (from the Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress, the House and the Senate))unitedstates/congress-legislators: legislators, committees and current committee membership · data current to Oct 3, 2026 · loaded Oct 3, 2026 · license: CC0 1.0 (public domain dedication)
  • House roll-call votes (Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives)Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives, roll-call vote records · data current to Oct 3, 2026 · loaded Oct 3, 2026 · license: Public domain (U.S. Government work, 17 U.S.C. § 105)
  • Senate roll-call votes and DW-NOMINATE scores (Voteview (UCLA Department of Political Science))Lewis, Jeffrey B., Keith Poole, Howard Rosenthal, Adam Boche, Aaron Rudkin, and Luke Sonnet (2026). Voteview: Congressional Roll-Call Votes Database. https://voteview.com/ · data current to Oct 3, 2026 · loaded Oct 3, 2026 · license: Free to use with the required citation
  • Lobbying disclosures (LD-1 registrations, LD-2 quarterly reports, LD-203 contribution reports) (Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives)Clerk of the House, Lobbying Disclosure Act filings (organizations only; lobbyists' names are not loaded) · data current to Oct 7, 2026 · loaded Oct 7, 2026 · license: Public domain (U.S. Government work, 17 U.S.C. § 105)
  • Positions are shown only where a roll call recorded them; voice votes and unanimous consent record none.
  • Money and votes are shown side by side; neither explains the other.