II 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 409 

To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide student loan 

deferment for victims of terrorist attacks. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 14, 2023 

Mr. RUBIO introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

A BILL 

To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide 

student loan deferment for victims of terrorist attacks. 

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 ‘‘Terrorism Survivors 

5 Student Loan Deferment Act of 2023’’. 

6 SEC. 2. STUDENT LOAN DEFERMENT FOR VICTIMS OF TER7 RORIST ATTACKS. 

8 (a) TERMS OF FEDERALLY INSURED STUDENT

9 LOANS.—Section 427(a)(2)(C) of the Higher Education 

10 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1077(a)(2)(C)) is amended— 


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•S 409 IS

1 (1) in clause (iii), by striking ‘‘or’’ after the 

2 semicolon; 

3 (2) in clause (iv), by striking the period at the 

4 end and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 

5 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

6 ‘‘(v) not in excess of 1 year due to the 

7 borrower being a victim of a terrorist at8 tack;’’. 

9 (b) FFEL PROGRAM.—Section 428(b) of the Higher 

10 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1078(b)) is amended— 

11 (1) in paragraph (1)(M)— 

12 (A) in clause (iv), by striking ‘‘or’’ after 

13 the semicolon; 

14 (B) in clause (v), by inserting ‘‘or’’ after 

15 the semicolon; and 

16 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

17 ‘‘(vi) not in excess of 1 year due to 

18 the borrower being a victim of a terrorist 

19 attack as described in paragraph (10);’’; 

20 and 

21 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

22 ‘‘(10) DEFERMENT FOR VICTIMS OF TERRORIST

23 ATTACKS.—For purposes of deferment under para24 graph (1)(M)(vi), a victim of a terrorist attack is an 

25 individual who is designated as a victim of a terVerDate Sep 11 2014 05:36 Mar 01, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S409.IS S409

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1 rorist attack by the head of the Federal agency that 

2 is handling the investigation of the attack.’’. 

3 (c) DIRECT LOANS.—Section 455 of the Higher Edu4 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087e) is amended— 

5 (1) in subsection (e)(7)(B)(i), by inserting ‘‘or 

6 due to the borrower being a victim of a terrorist at7 tack’’ after ‘‘section 435(o)’’; and 

8 (2) in subsection (f)— 

9 (A) in paragraph (2)— 

10 (i) in subparagraph (C), by striking 

11 ‘‘clause (i) or (ii); or’’ and inserting 

12 ‘‘clause (i) or (ii);’’; 

13 (ii) in subparagraph (D), by striking 

14 the period at the end and inserting ‘‘; or’’; 

15 and 

16 (iii) by adding at the end the fol17 lowing: 

18 ‘‘(E) not in excess of 1 year due to the 

19 borrower being a victim of a terrorist attack as 

20 described in paragraph (6).’’; and 

21 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

22 ‘‘(6) DEFERMENT FOR VICTIMS OF TERRORIST

23 ATTACKS.—For purposes of deferment under para24 graph (2)(E), a victim of a terrorist attack is an in25 dividual who is designated as a victim of a terrorist 


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1 attack by the head of the Federal agency that is 

2 handling the investigation of the attack.’’. 

3 (d) FEDERAL PERKINS LOANS.—Section 464(c)(2) 

4 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

5 1087dd(c)(2)) is amended— 

6 (1) in subparagraph (A)— 

7 (A) in clause (v), by striking ‘‘or’’ after the 

8 semicolon; 

9 (B) in clause (vi), by inserting ‘‘or’’ after 

10 the semicolon; and 

11 (C) by inserting after clause (vi) the fol12 lowing: 

13 ‘‘(vii) not in excess of 1 year due to 

14 the borrower being a victim of a terrorist 

15 attack as described in subparagraph (D);’’; 

16 and 

17 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

18 ‘‘(D) For purposes of deferment under subpara19 graph (A)(vii), a victim of a terrorist attack is an in20 dividual who is designated as a victim of a terrorist 

21 attack by the head of the Federal agency that is 

22 handling the investigation of the attack.’’. 

23 (e) DESIGNATING VICTIMS OF TERRORIST AT24 TACKS.—The head of the Federal agency that is handling 

25 the investigation of a terrorist attack, or has handled the 


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1 investigation of a terrorist attack, shall designate the indi2 viduals who are victims of such terrorist attack. 

3 (f) ANTI-FRAUD PROTECTIONS.—The Secretary of 

4 Education shall establish anti-fraud protections in car5 rying out the amendments made by this Act. 

Æ 


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