I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 4747 

To carry out an income-contingent repayment program for Federal Interest 

Free Education Loans for undergraduate students, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

OCTOBER 18, 2019 

Mr. CICILLINE (for himself, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. SERRANO, and Ms. JACKSON LEE) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor 

A BILL 

To carry out an income-contingent repayment program for 

Federal Interest Free Education Loans for undergraduate students, and for other purposes. 

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 ‘‘Making College More 

5 Affordable Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. DIRECT FEDERAL UNDERGRADUATE LOANS AND 

2 REPAYMENT PLAN. 

3 (a) INTEREST RATES.—Section 455(a) of the Higher 

4 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087e(a)) is amended 

5 by adding at the end the following: 

6 ‘‘(4) UNDERGRADUATE LOANS ON OR AFTER

7 THE DATE OF ENACTMENT OF THE MAKING COL8 LEGE MORE AFFORDABLE ACT.— 

9 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any 

10 other provision of this Act, a new borrower on 

11 or after the date of enactment of the Making 

12 College More Affordable Act may only borrow a 

13 Federal Interest Free Education Loan for the 

14 undergraduate course work being pursued by 

15 such borrower. 

16 ‘‘(B) TERMS, CONDITIONS, AND BENE17 FITS.—A Federal Interest Free Education 

18 Loan shall have the same terms and conditions, 

19 and benefits to borrowers as Federal Direct 

20 Stafford Loans with respect to undergraduate 

21 borrowers, except that— 

22 ‘‘(i) a Federal Interest Free Edu23 cation Loan shall have an applicable rate 

24 of interest of 3.76 percent for the term of 

25 the loan; 


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1 ‘‘(ii) the aggregate maximum amount 

2 of Federal Interest Free Education Loan 

3 that may be awarded to a borrower shall 

4 be $90,000, for not more than a 4-year 

5 academic period; 

6 ‘‘(iii) interest on a Federal Interest 

7 Free Education Loan shall only accrue 

8 during periods when a borrower is not 

9 earning taxable income due to professional 

10 negligence, professional incompetence, or 

11 malicious action on the part of the bor12 rower; 

13 ‘‘(iv) a borrower may consolidate any 

14 loan under section 428B, or a Federal Di15 rect PLUS Loan, that is made, insured, or 

16 guaranteed on behalf of such borrower 

17 with the Federal Interest Free Education 

18 Loan of such borrower; 

19 ‘‘(v) a Federal Interest Free Edu20 cation Loan may only be repaid under the 

21 income-contingent repayment plan under 

22 subsection (r); and 

23 ‘‘(vi) the Secretary may determine 

24 other terms and conditions, and benefits to 


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1 borrowers of Federal Interest Free Edu2 cation Loan.’’. 

3 (b) INCOME-CONTINGENT REPAYMENT PLAN FOR

4 UNDERGRADUATE LOANS.—Section 455 of the Higher 

5 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087e) is further 

6 amended by adding at the end the following: 

7 ‘‘(r) INCOME-CONTINGENT REPAYMENT PLAN FOR

8 UNDERGRADUATE LOANS.—Notwithstanding any other 

9 provision of this Act, the Secretary shall carry out a pro10 gram under which— 

11 ‘‘(1) a borrower of a Federal Interest Free 

12 Education Loan— 

13 ‘‘(A) shall have an aggregate monthly pay14 ment for the outstanding balance of principal 

15 and interest due on all such loans automatically 

16 withheld from the pre-tax income of the bor17 rower by the employer of the borrower in a 

18 manner which— 

19 ‘‘(i) prohibits employers from using 

20 any information about an employee’s out21 standing balance or principal and interest 

22 due on such loans for any purpose of use 

23 as an advantage against the employee; 

24 ‘‘(ii) is determined by the Secretary, 

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1 propriate Federal agencies (including the 

2 Secretary of the Treasury and the Com3 missioner of the Social Security Adminis4 tration); and 

5 ‘‘(iii) is an amount equal to— 

6 ‘‘(I) if the borrower’s gross in7 come is less than 337 percent of the 

8 poverty line applicable to the bor9 rower’s family size as determined 

10 under section 673(2) of the Commu11 nity Services Block Grant Act (42 

12 U.S.C. 9902(2)), $0; 

13 ‘‘(II) if the borrower’s gross in14 come is equal to or greater than 337 

15 percent, but not more than 841 per16 cent of such poverty line, 4 percent of 

17 the borrower’s gross income; 

18 ‘‘(III) if the borrower’s gross in19 come is equal to or greater than 842 

20 percent, but not more than 925 per21 cent of such poverty line, 5 percent of 

22 the borrower’s gross income; 

23 ‘‘(IV) if the borrower’s gross in24 come is equal to or greater than 926 

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1 cent of such poverty line, 6 percent of 

2 the borrower’s gross income; 

3 ‘‘(V) if the borrower’s gross in4 come is equal to or greater than 1,011 

5 percent, but not more than 1,094 per6 cent of such poverty line, 7 percent of 

7 the borrower’s gross income; 

8 ‘‘(VI) if the borrower’s gross in9 come is equal to or greater than 1,095 

10 percent, but not more than 1,178 per11 cent of such poverty line, 8 percent of 

12 the borrower’s gross income; 

13 ‘‘(VII) if the borrower’s gross in14 come is equal to or greater than 1,179 

15 percent, and 1,262 percent of such 

16 poverty line, 9 percent of the bor17 rower’s gross income; and 

18 ‘‘(VIII) if the borrower’s gross 

19 income is equal to or greater than 

20 1,263 percent of such poverty line, 10 

21 percent of the borrower’s gross in22 come; and 

23 ‘‘(B) may elect to have any payments made 

24 under subparagraph (A) that exceed the 

25 amount owed by the borrower on such loans for 


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1 a calendar year be refunded to the borrower or 

2 applied to the amount owed by the borrower on 

3 such loans for the succeeding calendar year; 

4 ‘‘(2) the Secretary will cancel any outstanding 

5 balance of principal or interest due on all Federal 

6 Interest Free Education Loans made to a borrower 

7 who has made 300 monthly payments under this 

8 subsection; and 

9 ‘‘(3) a borrower will be taxed on the amount 

10 cancelled under paragraph (2), which taxes shall be 

11 applied to carry out the Federal Direct Loan pro12 gram under this part.’’. 

Æ 


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