II 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 609 

To prohibit States from suspending, revoking, or denying State-issued 

professional licenses or issuing penalties due to student default. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 28, 2019 

Mr. RUBIO (for himself and Ms. WARREN) introduced the following bill; which 

was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, 

Labor, and Pensions 

A BILL 

To prohibit States from suspending, revoking, or denying 

State-issued professional licenses or issuing penalties due 

to student default. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Protecting Job Oppor5 tunities for Borrowers Act’’ or the ‘‘Protecting JOBs 

6 Act’’. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
2 

•S 609 IS

1 SEC. 2. PROHIBITION AGAINST SUSPENSION, REVOCATION, 

2 OR DENIAL OF STATE-ISSUED PROFESSIONAL 

3 LICENSES OR PENALTIES DUE TO STUDENT 

4 DEFAULT. 

5 (a) HIGHER EDUCATION ACT OF 1965 LOANS.—Part 

6 B of title I of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 

7 U.S.C. 1011 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 

8 the following: 

9 ‘‘SEC. 124. PROHIBITION AGAINST SUSPENSION, REVOCA10 TION, OR DENIAL OF STATE-ISSUED PROFES11 SIONAL LICENSES OR PENALTIES DUE TO 

12 STUDENT DEFAULT. 

13 ‘‘(a) PROHIBITION.—Beginning 2 years after the 

14 date of enactment of the Protecting Job Opportunities for 

15 Borrowers Act, a State that receives assistance under this 

16 Act may not suspend, revoke, or deny the approval or re17 newal of a State-issued license described in subsection (b) 

18 or issue a fine or other penalty with respect to an indi19 vidual based solely on such individual’s default or delin20 quency on a loan made, insured, or guaranteed under title 

21 IV. 

22 ‘‘(b) TYPES OF LICENSES.—A State-issued license 

23 described in this subsection means any of the following: 

24 ‘‘(1) A State-issued driver’s license (including 

25 any State-issued document permitting a specific in26 dividual to operate one or more types of motorized 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
3 

•S 609 IS

1 vehicles, such as a motorcycle, car, truck, or bus on 

2 a public road). 

3 ‘‘(2) A State-issued teaching license. 

4 ‘‘(3) A State-issued professional license involved 

5 in or affecting interstate commerce (including any li6 cense, permit, certificate, registration, charter, au7 thority or similar form of permission required for 

8 lawful employment in a particular career field). 

9 ‘‘(c) INJUNCTIVE RELIEF.—Any individual aggrieved 

10 as a result of a violation of subsection (a) may bring a 

11 civil action in an appropriate district court of the United 

12 States to obtain prospective injunctive relief against an in13 dividual State officer in the officer’s official capacity.’’. 

14 (b) HEALTH EDUCATION LOANS.— 

15 (1) IN GENERAL.—A State may not suspend, 

16 revoke, or deny the approval or renewal of a State17 issued license described in section 124(b) of the 

18 Higher Education Act of 1965 or issue a fine or 

19 other penalty with respect to an individual based 

20 solely on such individual’s default or delinquency on 

21 a Health Education Assistance Loan or Primary 

22 Care Loan made under part A of title VII of the 

23 Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 292 et seq.). 

24 (2) INJUNCTIVE RELIEF.—Any individual ag25 grieved as a result of a violation of paragraph (1) 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
4 

•S 609 IS

1 may bring a civil action in an appropriate district 

2 court of the United States to obtain prospective in3 junctive relief against an individual State officer in 

4 the officer’s official capacity. 

Æ 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS