I 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4736 

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

forgiveness for certain individuals employed in advanced energy professions. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 3, 2010 

Mr. WILSON of Ohio introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Education and Labor 

A BILL 

To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to authorize 

student loan forgiveness for certain individuals employed 

in advanced energy professions. 

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 ‘‘Energy Education 

5 Loan Forgiveness Act of 2010’’. 

6 SEC. 2. ENERGY EDUCATION LOAN FORGIVENESS. 

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

8 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070 et seq.) is amended by inserting 

9 after section 428L the following new section: 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 428M. ENERGY EDUCATION LOAN FORGIVENESS. 

2 ‘‘(a) PURPOSE.—The purposes of this section are— 

3 ‘‘(1) to encourage individuals to enter and con4 tinue in advanced energy professions; and 

5 ‘‘(2) to reward such individuals for their service 

6 in advanced energy professions by reducing the bur7 den of student loan debt. 

8 ‘‘(b) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.— 

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

10 Secretary is authorized to forgive, in accordance 

11 with this section, the student loan obligation of a 

12 borrower, in the amount specified in subsection (c), 

13 who— 

14 ‘‘(A) has been employed for at least one 

15 calendar year after the date of enactment of the 

16 Energy Education Loan Forgiveness Act of 

17 2010 as a full-time skilled energy worker 

18 trained in an industry that focuses on advanced 

19 energy (as defined in subsection (f)); and 

20 ‘‘(B) is not in default on a loan for which 

21 the borrower seeks forgiveness. 

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

23 provide loan forgiveness under paragraph (1), the 

24 Secretary is authorized to carry out a program— 

25 ‘‘(A) through the holder of the loan, to as26 sume the obligation to repay a qualified loan 


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1 amount for a loan made, insured, or guaranteed 

2 under this part (other than an excepted PLUS 

3 loan (as such term is defined in section 

4 493C(a))); and 

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

6 a loan made under part D or part E of this 

7 title (other than such an excepted PLUS loan). 

8 ‘‘(c) QUALIFIED LOAN AMOUNT.—The Secretary 

9 shall, from funds appropriated under subsection (h), for10 give the loan obligation of a borrower in accordance with 

11 this section and in the following increments: 

12 ‘‘(1) After the first calendar year of employ13 ment described in subsection (b)(1), not more than 

14 $2,000 of the loan obligation of the borrower that is 

15 outstanding after the completion of such calendar 

16 year. 

17 ‘‘(2) After the second such year of employment, 

18 not more than $2,500 of the loan obligation of the 

19 borrower that is outstanding after the completion of 

20 such year. 

21 ‘‘(3) After the third such year of employment, 

22 not more than $3,000 of the loan obligation of the 

23 borrower that is outstanding after the completion of 

24 such year. 


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1 ‘‘(4) After the fourth such year of employment, 

2 not more than $4,500 of the loan obligation of the 

3 borrower that is outstanding after the completion of 

4 such year. 

5 ‘‘(5) After the fifth such year of employment, 

6 not more than $5,000 of the loan obligation of the 

7 borrower that is outstanding after the completion of 

8 such year. 

9 ‘‘(d) PRIORITY.—The Secretary shall grant loan for10 giveness under this section on a first-come, first-served 

11 basis, and subject to the availability of appropriations. 

12 ‘‘(e) INELIGIBILITY FOR DOUBLE BENEFITS.—No 

13 borrower may, for the same service, receive a reduction 

14 of loan obligations under both this section and section 

15 428K or 455(m). 

16 ‘‘(f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

17 ‘‘(1) ADVANCED ENERGY.—The term ‘advanced 

18 energy’ shall have the meaning given such term by 

19 the Secretary pursuant to subsection (g). 

20 ‘‘(2) INDUSTRY THAT FOCUSES ON ADVANCED

21 ENERGY.—The term ‘industry that focuses on ad22 vanced energy’ means an industry the primary pur23 pose of which is to develop, produce, and distribute 

24 advanced energy (as defined by the Secretary in acVerDate Nov 24 2008 22:24 Mar 04, 2010 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4736.IH H4736

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1 cordance with subsection (g)), and includes the fol2 lowing industries: 

3 ‘‘(A) Alternative energy, including wind 

4 and solar energy. 

5 ‘‘(B) Nuclear energy. 

6 ‘‘(C) Energy efficient construction, retro7 fitting, and design. 

8 ‘‘(D) Sustainable energy technologies, in9 cluding chemical technology, nanotechnology, 

10 and electrical technology. 

11 ‘‘(E) Water and energy conservation. 

12 ‘‘(F) Recycling and waste reduction. 

13 ‘‘(G) Advanced agriculture and farming. 

14 ‘‘(H) Carbon sequestration and storage. 

15 ‘‘(I) Natural gas drilling. 

16 ‘‘(J) Clean coal production. 

17 ‘‘(3) SKILLED ENERGY WORKED.—The term 

18 ‘skilled energy worker’ shall have the meaning given 

19 such term by the Secretary pursuant to subsection 

20 (g). 

21 ‘‘(g) REGULATIONS.— 

22 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary is authorized 

23 to issue such regulations as may be necessary to 

24 carry out this section. 


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1 ‘‘(2) CONSULTATION WITH SECRETARY OF EN2 ERGY.—The Secretary shall coordinate with the Sec3 retary of Energy to promulgate regulations to de4 fine, for the purpose of awarding loan forgiveness 

5 under this section, the term ‘advanced energy’, the 

6 term ‘skilled energy worker’, and each of the cat7 egories of industries that focus on advanced energy 

8 that are listed under subsection (f)(2). 

9 ‘‘(h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

10 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

11 such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 2011 and 

12 each of the 5 succeeding fiscal years.’’. 

Æ 


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