I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 672 
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 17, 2019 
Mr. LOEBSACK (for himself, Mr. HARDER of California, and Mr. GOMEZ) in-
troduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Edu-
cation 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. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. DEFERMENT FOR FEDERAL EMPLOYEES DUR-
ING GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWNS. 
(a) SHUTDOWN DEFERMENT.— 
(1) EFFECT ON PRINCIPAL AND INTEREST.— 
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a bor-
rower of a loan made, insured, or guaranteed under 
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part B or D of the Higher Education Act of 1965 
(20 U.S.C. 1071 et seq.; 1087a et seq.) who meets 
the requirements described in paragraph (2) shall be 
eligible for a deferment, during which— 
(A) periodic installments of principal need 
not be paid; and 
(B) in the case of a— 
(i) loan made, insured, or guaranteed 
under part B of the Higher Education Act 
of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1071 et seq.), the Sec-
retary shall repay any interest owed; and 
(ii) loan made under part D of the 
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
1087a et seq.), interest shall not accrue. 
(2) ELIGIBILITY.—A borrower of a loan de-
scribed in paragraph (1) shall be eligible for a 
deferment during any period of not less than 15 con-
secutive days in which such borrower is an employee 
of a Federal agency that is subject to a lapse in dis-
cretionary appropriations. 
(b) EFFECT OF SHUTDOWN DEFERMENT ON PUBLIC 
SERVICE LOAN FORGIVENESS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other 
provision of law, for purposes of section 455(m) of 
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the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
1087e(m))— 
(A) the Secretary of Education shall treat 
an unpaid monthly payment on a loan during a 
deferment period described in subsection (a)(2) 
as if such monthly payment has been made on 
the loan if, during the reimbursement period, 
the borrower of such loan— 
(i) makes each monthly payment due 
on such loan for each month of such reim-
bursement period; 
(ii) pays the amount of such unpaid 
monthly payment; and 
(iii) not later than the day on which 
the first monthly payment is due during 
such reimbursement period, pays any other 
amounts that were due on such loan as of 
the day before the deferment period; and 
(B) with respect to a borrower who does 
not pay the amount of any such unpaid month-
ly payment on a loan during such reimburse-
ment period, beginning with the first monthly 
payment due on such loan after the reimburse-
ment period and for each succeeding monthly 
payment until the total amount of such unpaid 
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monthly payments on such loan are paid, the 
amount of the monthly payment due on such 
loan shall equal— 
(i) the monthly payment due on such 
loan for such month; and 
(ii) the amount of 1 unpaid monthly 
payment on such loan. 
(2) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of paragraph 
(1): 
(A) DEFERMENT.—The term ‘‘deferment 
period’’, when used with respect to a borrower, 
means the period in which the borrower is in 
the deferment described in subsection (a)(2). 
(B) 
MONTHLY
PAYMENT.—The 
term 
‘‘monthly payment’’ means a monthly payment 
under section 455(m)(1)(A) of the Higher Edu-
cation 
Act 
of 
1965 
(20 
U.S.C. 
1087e(m)(1)(A)). 
(C) REIMBURSEMENT PERIOD.—The term 
‘‘reimbursement period’’, when used with re-
spect to a borrower, means a period that is— 
(i) equal to the number of days of the 
deferment period of the borrower; and 
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(ii) begins on the day after such 
deferment period. 
Æ 
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