Higher Education Technical Amendments of 2000

Higher Education Technical Amendments of 2000 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to make technical and other revisions of various HEA provisions.

(Sec. 2) Revises HEA title I (General Provisions) to provide that graduate medical schools or veterinary schools outside the United States are not required to be public or nonprofit institutions.

Requires that such veterinary schools be certified by the Secretary of Education as eligible to participate in certain student loan programs.

Revises HEA title III (Institutional Aid) provisions relating to Howard University in Washington, D.C., and the University of the District of Columbia.

Revises HEA title IV (Student Assistance) part A (Grants to Students in Attendance at Institutions of Higher Education) to allow grantees, under the Student Support Services (3S) program of TRIO (various programs of early outreach and support to qualified individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds), to use funds for grant aid to students who participate in a 3S program while receiving a Pell Grant. Requires funds used for this purpose to be matched in cash from non-Federal sources in an amount that is at least 33 percent of such funds.

Provides for a six-year grant award period under the GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) program under part A.

Revises part A provisions for authorized activities under a special leveraging assistance partnership program.

Revises title IV part B (Federal Family Education Loan Program) to extend the duration of an exemption for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) from a requirement eliminating institutions with high default rates from student loan programs.

Revises title IV part C (Work-Study Program) to allow payment for a reasonable amount of time spent in travel or training directly related to eligible community service.

Revises title IV part E (Perkins Loans) to specify that loans of a borrower performing a service, such as teaching, that are eligible for loan cancellation are to be reimbursed for interest as well as principal. Provides the benefits of the loan rehabilitation program to borrowers with defaulted loans who pay their loans in full with single payments, if the defaulted loans have not been reduced to judgment. Authorizes an institution or the Secretary to offer loan rehabilitation to such borrowers even if the defaulted loans have been reduced to judgment.

Revises provisions for student loan cancellation for certain public service to provide that such service as a full-time Federal, State, or local law enforcement officer or corrections officer includes service as a prosecutor or public defender earning $30,000 or less in adjusted gross income.

Revises title IV part G (General Provisions) to require the Secretary to provide at least 45 days for public comment after publication of any notice of proposed rule making.

Specifies that a student convicted of a drug offense while enrolled and receiving financial aid is ineligible for financial aid during certain time periods. Provides that a student who fails to answer a question relating to such convictions on the common application form (the Free Application for Student Financial Aid or FAFSA) is ineligible for aid until such question is answered. Directs the Secretary to require each higher education institution participating in HEA title IV student assistance programs to provide each student upon enrollment with a separate, clear, and conspicuous written notice advising students of such financial aid penalties for such drug offense convictions.

Provides that students who are required to return grant funds shall not be required to return: (1) 50 percent of the total grant assistance received under title IV for a payment period or period of enrollment; or (2) amounts less than $50. Allows students to delay repayment of a grant: (1) for six months after withdrawing from school; or (2) while enrolled at least half- time.

Revises campus security provisions to require higher education institutions to: (1) include in the materials provided to students, faculty and the public a policy statement describing policies related to the handling of reports on missing students, including the institution's policy on notifying parents, guardians, and local police, and policies for investigating such reports and cooperating with local police in such investigations; (2) disclose their policies regarding the availability of information about registered sexually violent offenders received by the State, including a statement that they will disclose such information if the State provides it; and (3) disclose information about fire safety on their campuses, including statistics on fires and false alarms.

Provides that no new disclosure or reporting requirement shall be in effect until at least 180 days after final published regulations.

Makes appointments of congressional appointees to the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance effective upon publication in the Congressional Record.

Revises HEA title V (Developing Institutions) part A (Hispanic-Serving Institutions) to exempt Hispanic-serving institution grantees from a two-year wait-out-period requirement for eligibility for an additional grant.

Amends the Higher Education Amendments of 1998 to authorize appropriations for FY 2001 for the Web-Based Education Commission.