I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6363 
To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to halt collection of certain 
student loans, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 23, 2020 
Ms. PRESSLEY (for herself, Ms. OMAR, Mr. RICHMOND, Mr. WELCH, Ms. 
NORTON, Ms. VELA´ZQUEZ, Ms. CASTOR of Florida, Mr. RUSH, Mr. 
GARCI´A of Illinois, Mr. DEUTCH, Ms. TLAIB, Ms. CLARKE of New York, 
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. NADLER, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Ms. OCASIO-COR-
TEZ, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. CARSON of Indiana, Mr. POCAN, and Ms. LEE 
of California) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Education and Labor, and in addition to the Committee 
on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within 
the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to halt 
collection of certain student loans, 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 ‘‘Student Debt Emer-
gency Relief Act’’. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
18:22 Apr 09, 2020
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6363.IH
H6363
pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
SEC. 2. PAYMENTS FOR STUDENT LOAN BORROWERS AS A 
RESULT OF A NATIONAL EMERGENCY. 
(a) PAYMENTS
FOR STUDENT LOAN BORROWERS 
DURING A NATIONAL EMERGENCY.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Part G of title IV of the 
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1088 et 
seq.) is amended by inserting after section 493D the 
following: 
‘‘SEC. 493E. PAYMENTS FOR STUDENT LOAN BORROWERS 
DURING A NATIONAL EMERGENCY. 
‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) CORONAVIRUS.—The term ‘coronavirus’ 
has the meaning given the term in section 506 of the 
Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supple-
mental Appropriations Act, 2020 (Public Law 116– 
123). 
‘‘(2) INCOME-DRIVEN REPAYMENT.—The term 
‘income-driven repayment’ means— 
‘‘(A) income-based repayment authorized 
under section 493C for loans made, insured, or 
guaranteed under part B or part D; or 
‘‘(B) income contingent repayment author-
ized under section 455(e) for loans made under 
part D. 
‘‘(3) INVOLUNTARY
COLLECTION.—The term 
‘involuntary collection’ means— 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
18:22 Apr 09, 2020
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6363.IH
H6363
pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
‘‘(A) a wage garnishment authorized under 
section 488A of this Act or section 3720D of 
title 31, United States Code; 
‘‘(B) a reduction of tax refund by amount 
of debt authorized under section 3720A of title 
31, United States Code; 
‘‘(C) a reduction of any other Federal ben-
efit payment by administrative offset authorized 
under section 3716 of title 31, United States 
Code (including a benefit payment due to an in-
dividual under the Social Security Act or any 
other 
provision 
described 
in 
subsection 
(c)(3)(A)(i) of such section); and 
‘‘(D) any other involuntary collection activ-
ity. 
‘‘(4) NATIONAL
EMERGENCY.—The term ‘na-
tional emergency’ means— 
‘‘(A) a public health emergency related to 
the coronavirus that is declared by the Sec-
retary of Health and Human Services pursuant 
to section 319 of the Public Health Service Act 
(42 U.S.C. 247d); or 
‘‘(B) a national emergency related to the 
coronavirus declared by the President under the 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
18:22 Apr 09, 2020
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6363.IH
H6363
pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et 
seq.). 
‘‘(b) NATIONAL EMERGENCY STUDENT LOAN RE-
PAYMENT ASSISTANCE.— 
‘‘(1) AUTHORITY.—Upon the declaration of a 
national emergency, the Secretary shall for each bor-
rower of a loan made, insured, or guaranteed under 
part B, D, or E, pay the total amount due for such 
month on the loan, based on the payment plan se-
lected by the borrower or the borrower’s loan status. 
‘‘(2) NO CAPITALIZATION OF INTEREST.—With 
respect to any loan during a national emergency pe-
riod, interest due on loans made, insured, or guaran-
teed under part B, D, or E during such period shall 
not be capitalized at any time during or after the 
national emergency. 
‘‘(3) APPLICABILITY OF PAYMENTS.—Any pay-
ment made by the Secretary under this section shall 
be considered by the Secretary, or by a lender with 
respect to a loan made, insured, or guaranteed 
under part B— 
‘‘(A) as a qualifying payment under the 
public service loan forgiveness program under 
section 455(m), if the borrower would otherwise 
qualify under such section; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
18:22 Apr 09, 2020
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6363.IH
H6363
pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
‘‘(B) in the case of a borrower enrolled in 
an income-driven repayment plan, as a quali-
fying payment for the purpose of calculating eli-
gibility for loan forgiveness for the borrower in 
accordance with section 493C(b)(7) or section 
455(d)(1)(D), as the case may be; and 
‘‘(C) in the case of a borrower in default, 
as an on-time monthly payment for purposes of 
loan rehabilitation pursuant to section 428F(a). 
‘‘(4) REPORTING
TO
CONSUMER
REPORTING 
AGENCIES.—During the period in which the Sec-
retary is making payments on a loan under para-
graph (1), the Secretary shall ensure that, for the 
purpose of reporting information about the loan to 
a consumer reporting agency, any payment made by 
the Secretary is treated as if it were a regularly 
scheduled payment made by a borrower. 
‘‘(5) NOTICE OF PAYMENTS AND PROGRAM.— 
Not later than 15 days following the date of enact-
ment of the Student Debt Emergency Relief Act, 
and monthly thereafter during the period of a na-
tional emergency, the Secretary shall provide a no-
tice to all borrowers of loans made, insured, or guar-
anteed under part B, D, or E— 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
18:22 Apr 09, 2020
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6363.IH
H6363
pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
‘‘(A) informing borrowers of the actions 
taken under this section; 
‘‘(B) providing borrowers with an easily 
accessible method to opt out of the benefits pro-
vided under this section; and 
‘‘(C) notifying the borrower that the pro-
gram under this section is a temporary program 
and will end after the national emergency ends. 
‘‘(6) SUSPENSION
OF
INVOLUNTARY
COLLEC-
TION.—In the event of a national emergency, the 
Secretary, or other holder of a loan made, insured, 
or guaranteed under part B, D, or E, shall imme-
diately take action to halt all involuntary collection 
related to the loan. 
‘‘(7) MANDATORY FORBEARANCE.—During the 
period in which the Secretary is making payments 
on a loan under paragraph (1), the Secretary, or a 
lender or guaranty agency for a loan made under 
part B, shall grant the borrower forbearance, in the 
form of a temporary cessation of all payments on 
the loan other than the payments of interest and 
principal on the loan that are made under that para-
graph. In the case of a borrower who is delinquent 
but who is not yet in default prior to the time when 
the Secretary begins making payments under para-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
18:22 Apr 09, 2020
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6363.IH
H6363
pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
graph (1), the Secretary, or a lender or guaranty 
agency for a loan made under part B, shall grant 
the borrower forbearance retroactively to address 
any such delinquency. 
‘‘(c) WAIVER
OF
INTEREST
DURING
NATIONAL 
EMERGENCY.—Notwithstanding any other provision of 
law, the Secretary shall pay any interest that would other-
wise be charged or accrue during a national emergency 
on any loan made, insured, or guaranteed under part B, 
D, or E. 
‘‘(d) TERMINATION AND TRANSITION PERIOD.—Sec-
retary shall make payments on a loan under subsection 
(b)(1) until the Secretary is authorized by Congress to 
cease making such payments and to terminate the pro-
gram. Upon the termination of the authority of the Sec-
retary to make payments on a loan under subsection 
(b)(1), the Secretary shall carry out a program to provide 
for a transition period of 90 days, beginning on the day 
the termination of the authority of the Secretary to make 
payments on a loan under subsection (b)(1), during 
which— 
‘‘(1) the Secretary shall provide not less than 3 
notices to borrowers indicating when the borrower’s 
normal payment obligations will resume; and 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
18:22 Apr 09, 2020
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00007
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6363.IH
H6363
pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
‘‘(2) any missed payments by a borrower under 
part B, D, or E shall not— 
‘‘(A) result in fees or penalties; or 
‘‘(B) be reported to any consumer report-
ing agency or otherwise impact the borrower’s 
credit history. 
‘‘(e) IMPLEMENTATION IN FFEL ENTITIES.—To fa-
cilitate implementation of this section— 
‘‘(1) lenders and guaranty agencies holding 
loans made, insured, or guaranteed under part B 
shall report, to the satisfaction of the Secretary, in-
formation to verify at the borrower level the amount 
of payments made under this section; and 
‘‘(2) the Secretary shall have the authority to 
establish a payment schedule for purposes of this 
section for loans made, insured, or guaranteed under 
part B and not held by the Secretary. 
‘‘(f) WAIVERS.—In carrying out this section, the Sec-
retary may waive the application of— 
‘‘(1) subchapter I of chapter 35 of title 44, 
United States Code; 
‘‘(2) the master calendar requirements under 
section 482; 
‘‘(3) negotiated rulemaking under section 492; 
and 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
18:22 Apr 09, 2020
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00008
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6363.IH
H6363
pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
‘‘(4) the requirement to publish the notices re-
lated to the system of records of the agency before 
implementation required under paragraphs (4) and 
(11) of section 552a(e) of title 5, United States 
Code (commonly known as the ‘Privacy Act of 
1974’), except that the notices shall be published not 
later than 180 days after the date of enactment of 
the Student Debt Emergency Relief Act. 
‘‘(g) AUTHORIZATION OF MANDATORY FUNDING FOR 
IMPLEMENTATION.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be 
appropriated, and there are appropriated, from 
amounts in the Treasury not already appropriated— 
‘‘(A) $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2020 for 
the costs associated with implementation and 
coordination required of this section; and 
‘‘(B) such sums as are necessary to pro-
vide the payments and interest cancellation pro-
vided under this section. 
‘‘(2) AVAILABILITY.—Amounts made available 
under paragraph (1) shall— 
‘‘(A) be in addition to any other amounts 
available to carry out this section; and 
‘‘(B) remain available until expended.’’. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
18:22 Apr 09, 2020
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00009
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6363.IH
H6363
pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
(2) FFEL AMENDMENT.—Section 428(c)(8) of 
the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
1078(c)(8)) is amended by striking ‘‘and for which’’ 
and all that follows through ‘‘this subsection’’. 
(b) MINIMUM RELIEF FOR STUDENT LOAN BOR-
ROWERS AS A RESULT OF A NATIONAL EMERGENCY.— 
Part G of title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 
(20 U.S.C. 1088 et seq.), as amended by subsection (a), 
is further amended by inserting after section 493E the 
following: 
‘‘SEC. 493F. MINIMUM RELIEF FOR STUDENT LOAN BOR-
ROWERS AS A RESULT OF A NATIONAL EMER-
GENCY. 
‘‘(a) MINIMUM STUDENT LOAN RELIEF AS A RESULT 
OF A NATIONAL EMERGENCY.—Not later than 90 days 
after termination of the authority of the Secretary to make 
payments on a loan under section 493(E)(b)(1), the Sec-
retary shall, for each borrower of a loan made under part 
B, D, or E, apply to the total outstanding balance due 
on all such loans of the borrower, an amount equal to the 
lesser of— 
‘‘(1) the difference between $30,000 and the 
total amount of payments made by the Secretary 
under section 493E(b) on such loans of the borrower 
during the period of time when the Secretary was 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
18:22 Apr 09, 2020
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00010
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6363.IH
H6363
pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
authorized to make payments on a loan under sec-
tion 493E(b)(1); or 
‘‘(2) the total amount of outstanding principal 
and interest due on such loans of the borrower, as 
of the date of the calculation under this subsection. 
‘‘(b) DATA TO IMPLEMENT.—Contractors of the Sec-
retary and lenders and guaranty agencies holding loans 
made, insured, or guaranteed under part B shall report, 
to the satisfaction of the Secretary, the information nec-
essary to calculate the amount to be applied under sub-
section (a).’’. 
SEC. 3. EXCLUSION FROM GROSS INCOME. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Part III of subchapter B of chap-
ter 1 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended 
by inserting after section 139H the following new section: 
‘‘SEC. 139I. STUDENT LOAN PAYMENTS RESULTING FROM A 
NATIONAL EMERGENCY. 
‘‘Gross income shall not include any payment made 
on behalf of the taxpayer under section 493E(b)(1) or 
493F of the Higher Education Act of 1965.’’. 
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 
for part III of subchapter B of chapter 1 of the Internal 
Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by inserting after the 
item relating to section 139H the following new item: 
‘‘Sec. 139I. Student loan payments resulting from a national emergency.’’. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
18:22 Apr 09, 2020
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00011
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6211
E:\BILLS\H6363.IH
H6363
pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
(c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 
this section shall apply to taxable years beginning after 
December 31, 2019. 
Æ 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
18:22 Apr 09, 2020
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00012
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\H6363.IH
H6363
pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS