II 

110TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3635 

To authorize a loan forgiveness program for students of institutions of higher 

education who volunteer to serve as mentors. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 26 (legislative day, SEPTEMBER 17), 2008 

Mrs. CLINTON introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

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

A BILL 

To authorize a loan forgiveness program for students of 

institutions of higher education who volunteer to serve 

as mentors. 

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 ‘‘Supporting Mentors, 

5 Supporting Our Youth Act of 2008’’. 

6 SEC. 2. LOAN FORGIVENESS FOR VOLUNTEER MENTORING. 

7 Part B of title IV of the Higher Education Act of 

8 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1071 et seq.) is amended by inserting 

9 after section 428L the following: 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 428M. LOAN FORGIVENESS FOR VOLUNTEER MEN2 TORING. 

3 ‘‘(a) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.— 

4 ‘‘(1) LOAN FORGIVENESS AUTHORIZED.—The 

5 Secretary shall forgive, in accordance with this sec6 tion, the student loan obligation of a borrower, in 

7 the amount specified in subsection (c), who— 

8 ‘‘(A) commits to volunteering as a mentor, 

9 as described in subsection (b), for a period of 

10 not less than 1 year; 

11 ‘‘(B) is enrolled in an institution of higher 

12 education during the period the borrower is vol13 unteering as a mentor; and 

14 ‘‘(C) is not in default on a loan for which 

15 the borrower seeks forgiveness. 

16 ‘‘(2) METHOD OF LOAN FORGIVENESS.—To 

17 provide loan forgiveness under paragraph (1), the 

18 Secretary is authorized to carry out a program— 

19 ‘‘(A) through the holder of the loan, to as20 sume the obligation to repay a qualified loan 

21 amount for a loan made, insured, or guaranteed 

22 under this part (other than an excepted PLUS 

23 loan (as such term is defined in section 

24 493C(a))); and 


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1 ‘‘(B) to cancel a qualified loan amount for 

2 a loan made under part D (other than such an 

3 excepted PLUS loan). 

4 ‘‘(3) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary is author5 ized to issue such regulations as may be necessary 

6 to carry out the provisions of this section. 

7 ‘‘(b) VOLUNTEER MENTORING.—For purposes of this 

8 section, an individual shall be treated as volunteering as 

9 a mentor if the individual— 

10 ‘‘(1) commits to mentoring an at-risk child for 

11 a period of not less than 1 year; and 

12 ‘‘(2) completes the minimum number of hours 

13 of volunteering as a mentor during such year, as de14 termined by the Secretary by regulation. 

15 ‘‘(c) QUALIFIED LOAN AMOUNT.—At the end of each 

16 year of volunteering as a mentor, as described in sub17 section (b), on or after the date of enactment of the Sup18 porting Mentors, Supporting Our Youth Act of 2008, not 

19 to exceed 5 years, the Secretary shall forgive, for every 

20 hour of mentoring completed, $10 of the student loan obli21 gation of a borrower that is outstanding after the comple22 tion of each such year of volunteering as a mentor, not 

23 to exceed $10,000 in the aggregate for any borrower. 


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1 ‘‘(d) PRIORITY.—The Secretary shall grant loan for2 giveness under this section on a first-come, first-served 

3 basis, and subject to the availability of appropriations. 

4 ‘‘(e) EVALUATION AND REPORT.—Not later than 1 

5 year after the date of enactment of the Supporting Men6 tors, Supporting Our Youth Act of 2008, and annually 

7 thereafter, the Secretary shall evaluate the effectiveness 

8 of the program authorized under this section, and shall 

9 submit to Congress a report on such evaluation. Such re10 port shall include— 

11 ‘‘(1) the number and percentage of borrowers 

12 who participate in the program under this section 

13 for multiple academic years; and 

14 ‘‘(2) the number of borrowers who continue to 

15 volunteer as mentors after graduation from an insti16 tution of higher education.’’. 

Æ 


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