I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3412 
To suspend and reform the authority under the Higher Education Act of 
1965 for the Secretary of Education to carry out an administrative 
wage garnishment program. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 14, 2025 
Ms. PRESSLEY introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Education and Workforce 
A BILL 
To suspend and reform the authority under the Higher Edu-
cation Act of 1965 for the Secretary of Education to 
carry out an administrative wage garnishment program. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Ending Administrative 
Garnishment Act of 2025’’. 
SEC. 2. SUSPENSION OF WAGE GARNISHMENT. 
Section 488A of the Higher Education Act of 1965 
(20 U.S.C. 1095a) is amended by adding at the end the 
following: 
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‘‘(f) SUSPENSION OF AUTHORITY.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Beginning on the date of 
enactment of the Ending Administrative Garnish-
ment Act of 2025, the authority provided under sub-
section (a) to garnish the disposable pay of an indi-
vidual shall be suspended until the date the Sec-
retary submits to the Committee on Health, Edu-
cation, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the 
Committee on Education and Workforce of the 
House of Representatives the certification described 
in paragraph (2). 
‘‘(2) CERTIFICATION.—Not earlier than 1 year 
after the date of enactment of the Ending Adminis-
trative Garnishment Act of 2025, the Secretary shall 
submit to the Committee on Health, Education, 
Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the Com-
mittee on Education and Workforce of the House of 
Representatives a certification that either— 
‘‘(A) the Secretary has implemented a 
process through which— 
‘‘(i) individuals who have had their 
disposable pay improperly garnished in vio-
lation of this section, or of any other in-
struction by the Secretary, are able to have 
their refund processed and returned to 
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them not later than one calendar week 
after the date of such violation; 
‘‘(ii) the Secretary can independently 
cease or suspend the administrative wage 
garnishment program authorized under 
this section at any time, at the sole discre-
tion of the Secretary, including suspension 
of the garnishment of any individual stu-
dent loan borrower or a cohort of bor-
rowers; and 
‘‘(iii) the Secretary obtains a quar-
terly verification from each employer 
through which garnishment is carried out 
under this section that all information nec-
essary to implement garnishment under 
this section with respect to an individual 
employee is accurate, including an estimate 
of the amount scheduled to be garnished in 
the subsequent quarter, and the name, ad-
dress, phone number, and email address 
for both the employee and the employer; or 
‘‘(B) the Secretary is unable to implement 
the process described in subparagraph (A) and 
has determined that the garnishment of the dis-
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posable pay shall not apply to individuals as au-
thorized under subsection (a). 
‘‘(3) DATA COLLECTION.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—If the Secretary sub-
mits a certification under paragraph (2) that 
the Secretary has implemented the process de-
scribed in paragraph (2)(A), the Secretary, 
upon submission of such certification, shall es-
tablish a centralized database containing— 
‘‘(i) the addresses, occupations, em-
ployers, and other collectible demographic 
data of individuals whose disposable pay 
was subject to garnishment under this sec-
tion on the day before the date of enact-
ment of the Ending Administrative Gar-
nishment Act of 2025; and 
‘‘(ii) the addresses, occupations, em-
ployers, and other collectible demographic 
data of individuals whose disposable pay is 
subject to garnishment under subsection 
(a). 
‘‘(B) REPORT.—Not later than 90 days 
after the date the Secretary establishes the 
database under subparagraph (A), and not less 
often than annually thereafter, the Secretary 
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shall submit a report to the Committee on 
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the 
Senate and the Committee on Education and 
Workforce of the House of Representatives 
summarizing the information contained in the 
database and evaluating the exercise of the Sec-
retary’s authority under subsection (a). 
‘‘(g) RIGHT OF ACTION AGAINST EMPLOYER.—The 
employer shall be liable for, and the Secretary, the guar-
anty agency, or an individual, as appropriate, may sue the 
employer in a State or Federal court of competent juris-
diction to recover, any amount that such employer improp-
erly withholds from wages due an employee following re-
ceipt by such employer of notice of suspension or revoca-
tion of the withholding order, and actual damages, plus 
attorneys’ fees, costs, and, in the court’s discretion, puni-
tive damages. 
‘‘(h) DEPARTMENT ACTION AFTER IMPROPER GAR-
NISHMENT.—Not later than 10 days after the date the 
Secretary receives an individual’s disposable pay that has 
been improperly garnished, the Secretary shall pay the 
borrower twice the actual amount of wages garnished. 
Notwithstanding section 432(a)(2), an injunction against 
the Secretary may be issued to enforce this subsection. 
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‘‘(i) LIMITS ON USE.—The Secretary may not gar-
nish the disposable pay of an individual under this section 
with respect to a loan that has been outstanding for more 
than 10 years.’’. 
Æ 
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