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H.R. 5523 117th Congress House

Pay Down, Upskill Act of 2021

Official title: To help Americans pay down student loan debt or pay for education or training to develop or improve workforce skills.

Introduced: October 8, 2021 See on congress.gov
Education
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This bill died when the 117th Congress ended
It never became law before the 117th Congress (2021–2022) 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 2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Oct 8, 2021
Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.
Oct 8, 2021
Introduced in House
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 Latest action October 8, 2021

Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Pay Down, Upskill Act of 2021

This bill establishes the Pay Down or Upskill Education Benefit Program through which the Department of Education (ED) must provide an education benefit of up to $10,000 to each eligible individual. Eligible individual refers to an individual who (1) is at least 18 years old but less than 65 years old, and (2) received a certain recovery rebate in 2021.

Specifically, the bill requires ED to provide an education benefit to an eligible individual to (1) repay all or part of the individual's qualifying student loans, or (2) pay all or part of the individual's qualified educational expenses (i.e., tuition and fees for an education or training program that results in a recognized postsecondary credential).

ED must prescribe regulations for returning an education benefit when the individual withdraws or fails to complete enrollment for the individual's education or training program.

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 5523: Pay Down, Upskill Act of 2021. 117th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/117-HR-5523/
MLA
"H.R. 5523: Pay Down, Upskill Act of 2021." 117th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/117-HR-5523/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 5523, 117th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/117-HR-5523/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 5523: Pay Down, Upskill Act of 2021](https://openamerica.io/bill/117-HR-5523/)
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