U.S. Sens. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama and Jon Husted of Ohio have introduced legislation aimed at cracking down on student aid fraud and preventing taxpayer dollars from going to fraudulent applicants posing as college students.

The Student Aid Fraud Oversight and Accountability Act would establish new safeguards designed to stop so-called “ghost students,” stolen or fabricated identities used to enroll in classes and fraudulently collect federal and state financial aid, a news release from Tuberville's office said. Lawmakers said the schemes are often tied to coordinated international networks that obtain grants and aid before disappearing without attending classes.

Tuberville, chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Education and the American Family, and Husted are also co-leading a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee task force focused on eliminating fraud, waste and abuse in federal funding.

“Our students spend years paying back debts from higher education institutions that are oftentimes recklessly spending their money without any sort of accountability,” Tuberville said in the release. “Bad actors steal student aid funds and never pay them back — meanwhile actual students pay the price when they aren’t allowed to take the courses needed to graduate. This bill creates much needed oversight that puts the student and taxpayer first and holds our universities accountable.”

“Criminals are exploiting financial aid programs by impersonating students, which is wasting taxpayer dollars that could be going to the students who need it the most,” Husted said. “This bill would strengthen oversight capabilities at the Department of Education to ensure federal aid goes to real students while protecting hard-earned taxpayer dollars.”

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-LA, joined Tuberville and Husted in introducing the legislation.

Companion legislation was introduced in the House by U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Pa.-15. The measure passed the House Education and Workforce Committee in March.

Under the bill, the Department of Education would be required to identify institutions that disburse federal aid to applicants flagged for potential fraud. Schools identified through the oversight process would receive priority status for program reviews, audits and other oversight measures.

Institutions could be exempted if they verify student identities through an in-person meeting or live video call before aid is distributed.

The full text of the bill is available at www.tuberville.senate.gov.