I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 781 

To require the Secretary of Education to provide a deferment for certain 

student loans of Federal employees subject to a lapse in discretionary 

appropriations, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 24, 2019 

Mr. PERLMUTTER (for himself and Mr. HURD of Texas) introduced the 

following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor 

A BILL 

To require the Secretary of Education to provide a deferment 

for certain student loans of Federal employees subject 

to a lapse in discretionary appropriations, 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 ‘‘Student Loan Relief 

5 for Feds Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. SPECIAL DEFERMENT FOR FEDERAL EMPLOYEES 

2 DURING LAPSE IN APPROPRIATIONS. 

3 (a) SPECIAL DEFERMENT.—Part G of the Higher 

4 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1088 et seq.) is amend5 ed by adding at the end the following: 

6 ‘‘SEC. 493E. SPECIAL DEFERMENT FOR FEDERAL EMPLOY7 EES DURING LAPSE IN APPROPRIATIONS. 

8 ‘‘(a) EFFECT ON PRINCIPAL AND INTEREST.—A bor9 rower of a loan made, insured, or guaranteed under part 

10 B or part D, who meets the requirements described in sub11 section (b) shall be eligible for a deferment, during 

12 which— 

13 ‘‘(1) periodic installments of principal need not 

14 be paid; and 

15 ‘‘(2) in the case of a— 

16 ‘‘(A) loan made, insured, or guaranteed 

17 under part B, the Secretary shall repay any in18 terest owed; and 

19 ‘‘(B) loan made under part D, interest 

20 shall not accrue. 

21 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBILITY.—A borrower of a loan described 

22 in subsection (a) shall be eligible for a deferment during— 

23 ‘‘(1) any period in which such borrower is an 

24 employee— 

25 ‘‘(A) of a Federal agency that is subject to 

26 a lapse in discretionary appropriations; 


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1 ‘‘(B) of a private entity that has a contract 

2 with a Federal agency subject to a lapse in dis3 cretionary appropriations who is not paid dur4 ing such period due to such lapse in discre5 tionary appropriations; 

6 ‘‘(C) who is an employee of a State or 

7 other Federal grantee— 

8 ‘‘(i) whose compensation is advanced 

9 or reimbursed in whole or in part by the 

10 Federal Government, and 

11 ‘‘(ii) who is furloughed due to a lapse 

12 in Federal discretionary appropriations; or 

13 ‘‘(D) who is furloughed due to a lapse in 

14 Federal discretionary appropriations as an em15 ployee of the District of Columbia Courts, the 

16 Public Defender Service for the District of Co17 lumbia, or the District of Columbia government; 

18 and 

19 ‘‘(2) the 3 months after the date on which the 

20 lapse in discretionary appropriations described in 

21 subparagraphs (A) through (D) of paragraph (1) ap22 plicable to such employee has ended.’’. 

23 (b) EFFECT OF SHUTDOWN DEFERMENT ON PUBLIC

24 SERVICE LOAN FORGIVENESS.—Section 455(m) of the 


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1 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087e(m)) is 

2 amended by adding at the end the following: 

3 ‘‘(5) TREATMENT OF MISSED MONTHLY PAY4 MENTS DURING SPECIAL DEFERMENT.—For pur5 poses of calculating the 120 monthly payments on 

6 an eligible Federal Direct Loan under paragraph 

7 (1)(A), the Secretary shall treat an unpaid payment 

8 on a loan under a repayment plan described in 

9 clauses (i) through (iv) of paragraph (1)(A) that oc10 curs during a deferment under section 493E as if 

11 such monthly payment was made on the loan.’’. 

Æ 


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