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HR 3634 114th Congress House

Student Loan Debt Protection Act of 2015

Official title: To establish student loan borrowers' rights to basic consumer protections, reasonable and flexible repayment options, access to earned credentials, and effecti… Show full official titleShow less

Official title: To establish student loan borrowers' rights to basic consumer protections, reasonable and flexible repayment options, access to earned credentials, and effective loan cancellation in exchange for public service, and for other purposes.

Introduced: September 28, 2015 Introduced by: Wilson, Frederica S. Democratic · Florida See on congress.gov
Education BankruptcyCivil actions and liabilityDebt collectionEvidence and witnesses
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Government employee pay, benefits, personnel managementGovernment lending and loan guaranteesHigher educationIncome tax exclusionLicensing and registrationsStudent aid and college costsStudent recordsTax administration and collection, taxpayersWages and earnings
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This bill died when the 114th Congress ended
It never became law before the 114th Congress (2015–2016) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 4 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Mar 23, 2016
Referred to the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training.
Nov 4, 2015
Referred to the Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial And Antitrust Law.
Sep 28, 2015
Referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, the Judiciary, and Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Sep 28, 2015
Introduced in House
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 Latest action March 23, 2016

Referred to the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Student Loan Debt Protection Act of 2015

This bill amends the federal bankruptcy code to permit a borrower to discharge in bankruptcy a nonprofit, government, or private student loan, or an obligation to repay an educational benefit, scholarship, or stipend.

It amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to reinstate the six-year statute of limitations on actions to recover on defaulted student loans.

The bill prohibits collecting the amount owed on a defaulted federal student loan through: (1) offsets of social security, railroad retirement, or black lung benefits; (2) offsets of tax refunds; or (3) wage garnishment.

It amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from an individual's gross income: (1) discharged student loan debt, and (2) income distributions from qualified tuition plans that are used to pay the interest or principal on student loans.

The bill makes parent PLUS loans eligible for income-contingent repayment plans, including the Pay As You Earn repayment plan. Additionally, it makes parent PLUS loans and consolidation loans that repay parent PLUS loans eligible for income-based repayment plans and loan forgiveness for service in areas of national need.

It prohibits: (1) evidence of an individual's default on a federal student loan from being used in a federal or state proceeding involving the individual's professional or vocational license, and (2) an institution of higher education from blocking access to a student's records due to federal student loan default.

Finally, the bill modifies the public service loan forgiveness program to require the Department of Education to forgive 50% of the Direct loan balance for an eligible borrower who is employed in a public service job and makes 60 monthly payments after October 1, 2015.

 Related & companion bills 1
  • HR 1352 Related bill Student Loan Borrowers' Bill of Rights Act of 2015
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 6
 Cosponsors 1
All 1 Democratic 1
D
Cohen, Steve
Tennessee · Nov 2, 2015
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 3634: Student Loan Debt Protection Act of 2015. 114th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/114-HR-3634/
MLA
"H.R. 3634: Student Loan Debt Protection Act of 2015." 114th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/114-HR-3634/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 3634, 114th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/114-HR-3634/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 3634: Student Loan Debt Protection Act of 2015](https://openamerica.io/bill/114-HR-3634/)
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