Better Service to Borrowers Act of 2019

Bill: 116-hr-3519
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Schrier, Kim [D-WA-8]
Introduced: 2019-06-26
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Government information and archives

Government lending and loan guarantees

Student aid and college costs
Latest action: action_date: 2019-06-26
text: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.

Summaries:
action_date: 2019-06-26
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><b>Better Service to Borrowers Act of 2019</b></p> <p>This bill requires the Department of Education (ED) to develop and update a manual of common procedures and policies for loan servicers that enter into contracts with ED for the origination, servicing, and collection of loans under the Federal Family Education Loan program, the Federal Direct Loan program, and the Federal Perkins Loan program. Such manual must include a minimum standard of quality and practice to ensure that borrowers are well-served by loan servicers.</p>

tv_txt: I 116th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 3519 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES June 26, 2019 Ms. Schrier (for herself, Mr. Allred , Mr. Casten of Illinois , and Ms. Kendra S. Horn of Oklahoma ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor A BILL To direct the Secretary of Education to develop a common manual for loan servicers to ensure quality of practice and increase borrower satisfaction.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Better Service to Borrowers Act of 2019 . 2. Requiring a common manual for servicers (a) In general Part G of title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 1088 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following: 493E. Requiring a common manual for loan servicers (a) In general Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of the Better Service to Borrowers of 2019, the Secretary shall develop a manual of common procedures and policies for entities with which the Secretary enters into contracts for the origination, servicing, and collection of covered loans to standardize procedures to ensure consistency of quality and practice across loan servicers, and a minimum standard of quality and practice to ensure that borrowers are well-served. (b) Updates The Secretary shall update the manual under subsection (a) as frequently as may be necessary, but not less frequently than every 5 years. (c) Covered loans defined The term covered loans means— (1) loans sold or assigned to the Secretary under part B; (2) loans made or purchased under part D; and (3) loans referred, transferred, or assigned to the Secretary under part E. . (b) Part D loans Section 456(a)(2) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 1087f(a)(2) ) is amended in the first sentence by inserting before the period at the end the following: , including the applicable procedures and policies described in the manual developed under section 493E .