I 
117TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 9242 
To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to establish a pro bono service 
requirement for individuals who borrow Federal student loans for grad-
uate legal education, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 28, 2022 
Mr. BURCHETT 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 establish 
a pro bono service requirement for individuals who bor-
row Federal student loans for graduate legal education, 
and for other purposes. 
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 ‘‘Legal Aid for Ameri-
cans Act of 2022’’. 
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SEC. 2. PRO BONO SERVICE REQUIREMENT FOR LAW GRAD-
UATES. 
Section 455 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 1087e) is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(r) PRO BONO SERVICE REQUIREMENT FOR LAW 
GRADUATES.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—As condition of receiving a 
loan under this part for graduate legal education, a 
borrower shall enter into an agreement with the Sec-
retary pursuant to which the borrower agrees to per-
form legal work, on a pro bono basis, for not fewer 
than 50 hours per year during each year of the ap-
plicable service period. 
‘‘(2) ANNUAL CERTIFICATIONS.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—On an annual basis 
during each year of the applicable service pe-
riod, a borrower subject to an agreement under 
paragraph (1) shall submit to the Secretary a 
certification indicating whether or not the bor-
rower has complied with the requirements of 
the agreement. 
‘‘(B) EXEMPTION
FOR
PUBLIC
SERVICE 
EMPLOYEES.—A borrower who is employed in a 
public service job (as defined in subsection (m)) 
during the applicable service period, as dem-
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onstrated by an annual certification of such em-
ployment submitted to the Secretary by such 
borrower, shall be deemed to be in compliance 
with the pro bono service requirement under 
this subsection and shall not be required to per-
form any additional pro bono service pursuant 
to this subsection. 
‘‘(3) NONCOMPLIANCE.—Notwithstanding any 
other provision of this Act, a borrower subject to an 
agreement under paragraph (1) who does not comply 
with the terms of the agreement for any year of the 
applicable service period shall be treated as in de-
fault on any loan to which such agreement applies 
until the date on which the borrower certifies that 
the borrower is in compliance with the agreement. 
‘‘(4) EXCEPTIONS.—The requirement to per-
form pro bono legal service pursuant to an agree-
ment under paragraph (1) shall not apply during 
any period in which the borrower— 
‘‘(A) is serving on active duty during a war 
or other military operation or national emer-
gency; 
‘‘(B) is performing qualifying National 
Guard duty during a war or other military op-
eration or national emergency; or 
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‘‘(C) is attending an institution of higher 
education on not less than a half-time basis. 
‘‘(5) APPLICABILITY.—The requirement under 
paragraph (1) shall apply to loans made under this 
part for graduate legal education after the date of 
enactment of the Legal Aid for Americans Act of 
2022. 
‘‘(6) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 
‘‘(A) APPLICABLE SERVICE PERIOD.—The 
term ‘applicable service period’ means— 
‘‘(i) with respect to a borrower who is 
licensed to practice law in a State before 
receiving a loan under this part for grad-
uate legal education, the first three years 
following the date on which the borrower 
completes the program of study for which 
the loan was obtained; and 
‘‘(ii) with respect to a borrower who is 
not licensed to practice law in a State be-
fore receiving a loan under this part for 
graduate legal education, the first three 
years following the date on which the bor-
rower obtains a license to practice law in 
a State. 
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‘‘(B) GRADUATE LEGAL EDUCATION.—The 
term ‘graduate legal education’ means any pro-
gram of study leading to a graduate degree or 
graduate certificate in a legal field (as deter-
mined by the Secretary), including any program 
of study leading to a Juris Doctor (JD) degree, 
Master of Laws (LLM) degree, or Doctor of 
Juridical Science (SJD) degree.’’. 
Æ 
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