Student Loan Fairness Act

Student Loan Fairness Act

This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to establish a 10/10 Loan Repayment Plan that allows borrowers of Federal Family Education Loans (FFELs) and Direct Loans (DLs) to limit their monthly loan payments to one-twelfth of 10% of the amount by which their adjusted gross incomes and that of their spouses (if applicable) exceed 150% of the federal poverty level.

Additionally, it establishes a 10/10 Loan Forgiveness Program that provides FFEL and DL forgiveness to borrowers who, over 10 years, have made 120 monthly payments under the 10/10 Loan Repayment Plan or under another repayment plan that required them to make payments at least as large as those they would have made under the 10/10 Loan Repayment Plan.

It caps the interest rate on new DLs at 3.4%.

It amends the public service employee loan forgiveness program to forgive the DLs of participants who have made 60 (currently, 120) monthly payments on such loans pursuant to specified repayment plans.

The bill includes primary care physicians in medically underserved areas in the public service employee loan forgiveness program.

Certain borrowers may consolidate their private education loans as Direct Consolidation Loans.

It amends the Truth in Lending Act to direct the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to issue regulations that require private education lenders to sell private education loans to the Department of Education (ED) for consolidation as Direct Consolidation Loans.

ED must pay the interest that accrues on certain student loans due to the borrower's lack of full-time employment for an interest-free deferment period of up to three years.

It excludes from a borrower's gross income for income tax purposes the principal and interest on FFELs and DLs that is forgiven pursuant to income-based repayment plans.