I 
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 9746 
To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to allow borrowers of Parent 
PLUS loans or loans under section 428B made on behalf of a dependent 
student to repay such loans pursuant to an income-contingent repayment 
plan or income-based repayment plan, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 20, 2024 
Ms. WATERS (for herself, Ms. ADAMS, Ms. NORTON, Mr. THOMPSON of Mis-
sissippi, Mr. CARSON, Mrs. RAMIREZ, Mr. THANEDAR, Mr. JACKSON of 
Illinois, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Ms. PLASKETT, Ms. STANSBURY, Ms. 
LEE of California, and Mr. SWALWELL) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce 
A BILL 
To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to allow bor-
rowers of Parent PLUS loans or loans under section 
428B made on behalf of a dependent student to repay 
such loans pursuant to an income-contingent repayment 
plan or income-based repayment plan, and for other pur-
poses. 
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 ‘‘Affordable PLUS Re-
payment Options for Parents Act of 2024’’. 
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SEC. 2. INCOME-CONTINGENT REPAYMENT PLAN. 
Section 455 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 1087e) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (d)(1)(D), by striking ‘‘, ex-
cept that the plan described in this subparagraph 
shall not be available to the borrower of a Federal 
Direct PLUS loan made on behalf of a dependent 
student’’; and 
(2) in subsection (e)(1), by inserting at the end 
the following: ‘‘An income contingent repayment 
plan under this subsection shall be available to a 
borrower of a Federal Direct PLUS loan made on 
behalf of a dependent student or a Federal Direct 
Consolidation Loan the proceeds of which were used 
to discharge the liability on such a Federal Direct 
PLUS loan.’’. 
SEC. 3. INCOME-BASED REPAYMENT PLAN. 
(a) CLARIFICATION OF IBR.—Section 455(d)(1)(E) 
of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1087e(d)(1)(E)) is amended by 
striking ‘‘, except that the plan described in this subpara-
graph shall not be available to the borrower of a Federal 
Direct PLUS Loan made on behalf of a dependent student 
or a Federal Direct Consolidation Loan, if the proceeds 
of such loan were used to discharge the liability on such 
Federal Direct PLUS Loan or a loan under section 428B 
made on behalf of a dependent student’’. 
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(b) IBR.—Section 493C of the Higher Education Act 
of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1098e) is amended— 
(1) by amending subsection (a) to read as fol-
lows: 
‘‘(a) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘partial 
financial hardship’, when used with respect to a borrower, 
means that for such borrower— 
‘‘(1) the annual amount due on the total 
amount of loans made, insured, or guaranteed under 
part B or D to a borrower as calculated under the 
standard 
repayment 
plan 
under 
section 
428(b)(9)(A)(i) or 455(d)(1)(A), based on a 10-year 
repayment period; exceeds 
‘‘(2) 15 percent of the result obtained by calcu-
lating, on at least an annual basis, the amount by 
which— 
‘‘(A) the borrower’s, and the borrower’s 
spouse’s (if applicable), adjusted gross income; 
exceeds 
‘‘(B) 150 percent of the poverty line appli-
cable to the borrower’s family size as deter-
mined under section 673(2) of the Community 
Services 
Block 
Grant 
Act 
(42 
U.S.C. 
9902(2)).’’; 
(2) in subsection (b)— 
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(A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘(other 
than an excepted PLUS loan or excepted con-
solidation loan)’’; 
(B) in paragraph (6)(A), by striking 
‘‘(other than an excepted PLUS loan or ex-
cepted consolidation loan)’’; and 
(C) in paragraph (7), by striking ‘‘(other 
than a loan under section 428B or a Federal 
Direct PLUS Loan)’’; and 
(3) in subsection (c)— 
(A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘(other 
than an excepted PLUS loan or excepted con-
solidation loan),’’; and 
(B) in paragraph (2)(B), by striking 
‘‘(other than an excepted PLUS loan or ex-
cepted consolidation loan)’’. 
SEC. 4. EFFECTIVE DATE AND APPLICATION. 
The amendments made by this Act shall take effect 
on the date of enactment of this Act, and shall apply with 
respect to each borrower who, on or after such date— 
(1) has an outstanding balance on a Federal 
Direct PLUS Loan (or a loan under section 428B) 
made on behalf of a dependent student or a Federal 
Direct Consolidation Loan the proceeds of which 
were used to discharge the liability on such a Fed-
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eral Direct PLUS loan (or on such a loan under sec-
tion 428B); and 
(2) is repaying or will repay such loan pursuant 
to an income-contingent repayment plan under sec-
tion 455(e) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 
(20 U.S.C. 1087e(e)) or an income-based repayment 
plan under section 493C of such Act (20 U.S.C. 
1098e). 
Æ 
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