I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4747 
To carry out an income-contingent repayment program for Federal Interest 
Free Education Loans for undergraduate students, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 18, 2019 
Mr. CICILLINE (for himself, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. SERRANO, and Ms. JACK-
SON LEE) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Education and Labor 
A BILL 
To carry out an income-contingent repayment program for 
Federal Interest Free Education Loans for under-
graduate students, 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 ‘‘Making College More 
Affordable Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. DIRECT FEDERAL UNDERGRADUATE LOANS AND 
REPAYMENT PLAN. 
(a) INTEREST RATES.—Section 455(a) of the Higher 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087e(a)) is amended 
by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(4) UNDERGRADUATE
LOANS
ON
OR
AFTER 
THE DATE OF ENACTMENT OF THE MAKING COL-
LEGE MORE AFFORDABLE ACT.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any 
other provision of this Act, a new borrower on 
or after the date of enactment of the Making 
College More Affordable Act may only borrow a 
Federal Interest Free Education Loan for the 
undergraduate course work being pursued by 
such borrower. 
‘‘(B) TERMS, CONDITIONS, AND
BENE-
FITS.—A Federal Interest Free Education 
Loan shall have the same terms and conditions, 
and benefits to borrowers as Federal Direct 
Stafford Loans with respect to undergraduate 
borrowers, except that— 
‘‘(i) a Federal Interest Free Edu-
cation Loan shall have an applicable rate 
of interest of 3.76 percent for the term of 
the loan; 
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‘‘(ii) the aggregate maximum amount 
of Federal Interest Free Education Loan 
that may be awarded to a borrower shall 
be $90,000, for not more than a 4-year 
academic period; 
‘‘(iii) interest on a Federal Interest 
Free Education Loan shall only accrue 
during periods when a borrower is not 
earning taxable income due to professional 
negligence, professional incompetence, or 
malicious action on the part of the bor-
rower; 
‘‘(iv) a borrower may consolidate any 
loan under section 428B, or a Federal Di-
rect PLUS Loan, that is made, insured, or 
guaranteed on behalf of such borrower 
with the Federal Interest Free Education 
Loan of such borrower; 
‘‘(v) a Federal Interest Free Edu-
cation Loan may only be repaid under the 
income-contingent repayment plan under 
subsection (r); and 
‘‘(vi) the Secretary may determine 
other terms and conditions, and benefits to 
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borrowers of Federal Interest Free Edu-
cation Loan.’’. 
(b) INCOME-CONTINGENT REPAYMENT PLAN
FOR 
UNDERGRADUATE LOANS.—Section 455 of the Higher 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087e) is further 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(r) INCOME-CONTINGENT REPAYMENT PLAN FOR 
UNDERGRADUATE LOANS.—Notwithstanding any other 
provision of this Act, the Secretary shall carry out a pro-
gram under which— 
‘‘(1) a borrower of a Federal Interest Free 
Education Loan— 
‘‘(A) shall have an aggregate monthly pay-
ment for the outstanding balance of principal 
and interest due on all such loans automatically 
withheld from the pre-tax income of the bor-
rower by the employer of the borrower in a 
manner which— 
‘‘(i) prohibits employers from using 
any information about an employee’s out-
standing balance or principal and interest 
due on such loans for any purpose of use 
as an advantage against the employee; 
‘‘(ii) is determined by the Secretary, 
in coordination with the heads of other ap-
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propriate Federal agencies (including the 
Secretary of the Treasury and the Com-
missioner of the Social Security Adminis-
tration); and 
‘‘(iii) is an amount equal to— 
‘‘(I) if the borrower’s gross in-
come is less than 337 percent of the 
poverty line applicable to the bor-
rower’s family size as determined 
under section 673(2) of the Commu-
nity Services Block Grant Act (42 
U.S.C. 9902(2)), $0; 
‘‘(II) if the borrower’s gross in-
come is equal to or greater than 337 
percent, but not more than 841 per-
cent of such poverty line, 4 percent of 
the borrower’s gross income; 
‘‘(III) if the borrower’s gross in-
come is equal to or greater than 842 
percent, but not more than 925 per-
cent of such poverty line, 5 percent of 
the borrower’s gross income; 
‘‘(IV) if the borrower’s gross in-
come is equal to or greater than 926 
percent, but not more than 1,010 per-
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cent of such poverty line, 6 percent of 
the borrower’s gross income; 
‘‘(V) if the borrower’s gross in-
come is equal to or greater than 1,011 
percent, but not more than 1,094 per-
cent of such poverty line, 7 percent of 
the borrower’s gross income; 
‘‘(VI) if the borrower’s gross in-
come is equal to or greater than 1,095 
percent, but not more than 1,178 per-
cent of such poverty line, 8 percent of 
the borrower’s gross income; 
‘‘(VII) if the borrower’s gross in-
come is equal to or greater than 1,179 
percent, and 1,262 percent of such 
poverty line, 9 percent of the bor-
rower’s gross income; and 
‘‘(VIII) if the borrower’s gross 
income is equal to or greater than 
1,263 percent of such poverty line, 10 
percent of the borrower’s gross in-
come; and 
‘‘(B) may elect to have any payments made 
under subparagraph (A) that exceed the 
amount owed by the borrower on such loans for 
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a calendar year be refunded to the borrower or 
applied to the amount owed by the borrower on 
such loans for the succeeding calendar year; 
‘‘(2) the Secretary will cancel any outstanding 
balance of principal or interest due on all Federal 
Interest Free Education Loans made to a borrower 
who has made 300 monthly payments under this 
subsection; and 
‘‘(3) a borrower will be taxed on the amount 
cancelled under paragraph (2), which taxes shall be 
applied to carry out the Federal Direct Loan pro-
gram under this part.’’. 
Æ 
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