Title: Student Loan Forgiveness for Farmers and Ranchers Act
Policy area: Education

Summary:
Student Loan Forgiveness for Farmers and Ranchers Act
This bill establishes a student loan forgiveness program for certain farmers or ranchers.
Specifically, it requires the Department of Education to cancel the balance of interest and principal due on a borrower's Federal Direct Loans after such borrower makes 120 monthly loan payments under a specified repayment plan while employed full-time at a qualified farm or ranch.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2168 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2168

To establish a student loan forgiveness plan for certain borrowers who 
               are employed at a qualified farm or ranch.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 18, 2019

 Mr. Murphy (for himself and Mr. Udall) introduced the following bill; 
     which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, 
                     Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To establish a student loan forgiveness plan for certain borrowers who 
               are employed at a qualified farm or ranch.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Student Loan Forgiveness for Farmers 
and Ranchers Act''.

SEC. 2. LOAN FORGIVENESS FOR FARMERS AND RANCHERS.

    (a) Amendment to the HEA.--Part D of title IV of the Higher 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087a et seq.) is amended by adding at 
the end the following:

``SEC. 460A. LOAN FORGIVENESS FOR FARMERS AND RANCHERS.

    ``(a) Qualified Farm or Ranch.--In this section, the term 
`qualified farm or ranch' means, with respect to a year, a farm or 
ranch whose earnings of gross revenue during the year from the sale of 
agricultural products are--
            ``(1) not less than--
                    ``(A) in the case of 2019, $35,000; and
                    ``(B) in the case of any succeeding year, the 
                amount applicable under this paragraph for the previous 
                year increased by the estimated percentage change in 
                the Consumer Price Index (as determined by the 
                Secretary, using the definition in section 478(f)) for 
                the most recent preceding year; and
            ``(2) not more than--
                    ``(A) in the case of 2019, $1,000,000; and
                    ``(B) in the case of any succeeding year, the 
                amount applicable under this paragraph for the previous 
                year increased by the estimated percentage change in 
                the Consumer Price Index (as determined by the 
                Secretary, using the definition in section 478(f)) for 
                the most recent preceding year.
    ``(b) In General.--The Secretary shall cancel the balance of 
interest and principal due, in accordance with subsection (c), on any 
eligible Federal Direct Loan not in default for a borrower who--
            ``(1) at the time of initial entrance into the agricultural 
        student loan forgiveness program--
                    ``(A) is employed full-time as an employee or 
                manager of a qualified farm or ranch; and
                    ``(B) is--
                            ``(i) a beginning farmer or rancher (as 
                        defined under section 343(a) of the 
                        Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 
                        U.S.C. 1991(a)));
                            ``(ii) an individual from a population that 
                        is underrepresented in the agricultural 
                        profession (as determined by the Secretary), 
                        such as minorities or women;
                            ``(iii) a socially disadvantaged farmer or 
                        rancher (as defined in section 355(e) of the 
                        Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 
                        U.S.C. 2003(e))); or
                            ``(iv) a veteran farmer or rancher (as 
                        defined in section 2501(a) of the Food, 
                        Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 
                        1990 (7 U.S.C. 2279(a)));
            ``(2) makes 120 monthly payments on the eligible Federal 
        Direct Loan after the date of enactment of the Student Loan 
        Forgiveness for Farmers and Ranchers Act, pursuant to any one 
        or a combination of--
                    ``(A) payments under an income-based repayment plan 
                under section 493C;
                    ``(B) payments under a standard repayment plan 
                under section 455(d)(1)(A), based on a 10-year 
                repayment period;
                    ``(C) monthly payments under a repayment plan under 
                subsection (d)(1) or (g) of section 455 of not less 
                than the monthly amount calculated under section 
                455(d)(1)(A), based on a 10-year repayment period; or
                    ``(D) payments under an income contingent repayment 
                plan under section 455(d)(1)(D);
            ``(3) is employed full-time as an employee or manager of a 
        qualified farm or ranch at the time of such forgiveness; and
            ``(4) has been employed full-time as an employee or manager 
        of a qualified farm or ranch during the period in which the 
        borrower makes each of the qualifying payments described in 
        paragraph (2).
    ``(c) Loan Cancellation Amount.--After the conclusion of the 
employment period described in subsection (b), the Secretary shall 
cancel the obligation to repay the balance of principal and interest 
due as of the time of such cancellation, on the eligible Federal Direct 
Loans made to the borrower under this part.
    ``(d) Removal From the Program.--
            ``(1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2), the Secretary 
        shall remove a borrower from the agricultural student loan 
        forgiveness program if the borrower--
                    ``(A) was less than 40 years old when the borrower 
                entered the agricultural student loan forgiveness 
                program, and that borrower fails to be employed full-
                time as an employee or manager of a qualified farm or 
                ranch for a cumulative period of more than 7 years 
                after entering the program; or
                    ``(B) was 40 years old or older when the borrower 
                entered the agricultural student loan forgiveness 
                program, and that borrower fails to be employed full-
                time as an employee or manager of a qualified farm or 
                ranch for a cumulative period of more than 3 years 
                after entering the program.
            ``(2) Exception for military service.--The Secretary shall 
        not consider any of the following as a period of time counting 
        toward removal from the agricultural student loan forgiveness 
        program for purposes of paragraph (1):
                    ``(A) Time serving on active duty during a war or 
                other military operation or national emergency.
                    ``(B) Time performing qualifying National Guard 
                duty during a war or other military operation or 
                national emergency.
                    ``(C) The 180-day period following the 
                demobilization date for the service described in 
                subparagraph (A) or (B).
            ``(3) Readmission prohibited.--The Secretary shall not 
        allow a borrower who has been removed from the agricultural 
        student loan forgiveness program under this section to be 
        readmitted to the program, unless the Secretary finds that the 
        borrower has experienced exceptional circumstances.
    ``(e) Eligible Federal Direct Loan.--The term `eligible Federal 
Direct Loan' means a Federal Direct Stafford Loan, Federal Direct PLUS 
Loan, or Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan, or a Federal Direct 
Consolidation Loan.''.
    (b) Regulations.--Not more than 180 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Education, in consultation with 
the Secretary of Agriculture, shall promulgate final regulations to 
carry out this section, including regulations relating to the process 
of tracking and verifying work as an employee or manager of a qualified 
farm or ranch for purposes of section 460A of the Higher Education Act 
of 1965 (as added by this Act).
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