I 
110TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 7137 
To authorize a loan forgiveness program for students of institutions of higher 
education who volunteer to serve as mentors. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 26, 2008 
Mr. CROWLEY introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Education and Labor 
A BILL 
To authorize a loan forgiveness program for students of 
institutions of higher education who volunteer to serve 
as mentors. 
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 ‘‘Supporting Mentors, 
Supporting Our Youth Act of 2008’’. 
SEC. 2. LOAN FORGIVENESS FOR VOLUNTEER MENTORING. 
Part B of title IV of the Higher Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 1071 et seq.) is amended by inserting 
after section 428L the following new section: 
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‘‘SEC. 428M. LOAN FORGIVENESS FOR VOLUNTEER MEN-
TORING. 
‘‘(a) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.— 
‘‘(1) LOAN
FORGIVENESS
AUTHORIZED.—The 
Secretary shall forgive, in accordance with this sec-
tion, the student loan obligation of a borrower, in 
the amount specified in subsection (c), who— 
‘‘(A) commits to volunteering as a mentor, 
as described in subsection (b), for a period of 
at least one year; 
‘‘(B) is enrolled in an institution of higher 
education during the period the borrower is vol-
unteering as a mentor; and 
‘‘(C) is not in default on a loan for which 
the borrower seeks forgiveness. 
‘‘(2) METHOD
OF
LOAN
FORGIVENESS.—To 
provide loan forgiveness under paragraph (1), the 
Secretary is authorized to carry out a program— 
‘‘(A) through the holder of the loan, to as-
sume the obligation to repay a qualified loan 
amount for a loan made, insured, or guaranteed 
under this part (other than an excepted PLUS 
loan (as such term is defined in section 
493C(a))); and 
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‘‘(B) to cancel a qualified loan amount for 
a loan made under part D of this title (other 
than such an excepted PLUS loan). 
‘‘(3) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary is author-
ized to issue such regulations as may be necessary 
to carry out the provisions of this section. 
‘‘(b) VOLUNTEER MENTORING.—For purposes of this 
section, an individual shall be treated as volunteering as 
a mentor if the individual— 
‘‘(1) commits to mentoring an at-risk child for 
a period of not less than one year; and 
‘‘(2) completes the minimum number of hours 
of volunteering as a mentor during such year, as de-
termined by the Secretary by regulation. 
‘‘(c) QUALIFIED LOAN AMOUNT.—At the end of each 
year of volunteering as a mentor, as described in sub-
section (b), on or after the date of enactment of the Sup-
porting Mentors, Supporting Our Youth Act of 2008, not 
to exceed 5 years, the Secretary shall forgive, for every 
hour of mentoring completed, $10 of the student loan obli-
gation of a borrower that is outstanding after the comple-
tion of each such year of volunteering as a mentor, not 
to exceed $10,000 in the aggregate for any borrower. 
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‘‘(d) PRIORITY.—The Secretary shall grant loan for-
giveness under this section on a first-come, first-served 
basis, and subject to the availability of appropriations. 
‘‘(e) EVALUATION AND REPORT.—Not later than one 
year after the date of the enactment of the Supporting 
Mentors, Supporting Our Youth Act of 2008, and annu-
ally thereafter, the Secretary shall evaluate the effective-
ness of the program authorized under this section, and 
shall submit to Congress a report on such evaluation. Such 
report shall include— 
‘‘(1) the number and percentage of borrowers 
who participate in the program under this section 
for multiple academic years; and 
‘‘(2) the number of borrowers who continue to 
volunteer as mentors after graduation from an insti-
tution of higher education.’’. 
Æ 
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