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H.R. 4742 118th Congress House

Pay Back Act

Official title: To prohibit the Secretary of Education, the Secretary of the Treasury, and the Attorney General from cancelling student loans, or changing any other terms or c… Show full official titleShow less

Official title: To prohibit the Secretary of Education, the Secretary of the Treasury, and the Attorney General from cancelling student loans, or changing any other terms or conditions on such loans, except as expressly authorized by an Act of Congress enacted after the date of enactment of this Act.

Introduced: July 19, 2023 Introduced by: Lisa C. McClain Republican · Michigan See on congress.gov
Education Government lending and loan guaranteesHigher educationStudent aid and college costs
This bill died when the 118th Congress ended
It never became law before the 118th Congress (2023–2024) 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 3 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Jul 21, 2023
Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
Jul 19, 2023
Referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, 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.
Jul 19, 2023
Introduced in House
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 Latest action July 21, 2023

Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Pay Back Act

This bill prohibits the Departments of Education, Justice, or the Treasury from taking any action to cancel or forgive the outstanding balances (or portion of balances) of covered loans or otherwise modify the terms or conditions of covered loans unless expressly authorized by Congress. Covered loans refer to Federal Family Education Loans, Federal Direct Loans, Federal Perkins Loans, and loans under the Health Education Assistance Loan Program.
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 3
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 4742: Pay Back Act. 118th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/118-HR-4742/
MLA
"H.R. 4742: Pay Back Act." 118th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/118-HR-4742/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 4742, 118th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/118-HR-4742/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 4742: Pay Back Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/118-HR-4742/)
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