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H.R. 3179 · 114th Congress

Empowering Students Through Enhanced Financial Counseling Act

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Passed the House without a recorded vote, then expired. It passed by voice vote or unanimous consent, which don't record how each member voted, but didn't become law before the 114th Congress ended.

BGR GuthrieSponsor
38 cosponsors · 19 D, 19 R
  1. House Introduced Jul 23, 2015
  2. House Passed Jul 11, 2016

Empowering Students Through Enhanced Financial Counseling Act

What it does: CRS summary · Passed House amended · Jul 11, 2016

Empowering Students Through Enhanced Financial Counseling Act

(Sec. 2) This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to modify loan counseling requirements for an institution of higher education (IHE) that participates in federal student aid programs.

Currently, an IHE must provide entrance counseling to a student who is a first-time federal student loan borrower. This bill replaces required entrance counseling with required annual counseling. Also, it expands the required recipients of such annual counseling to include, in addition to student borrowers, Federal Pell Grant recipients and parent PLUS Loan borrowers.

Each annual counseling recipient must receive comprehensive information on the terms, conditions, and responsibilities with respect to a grant or loan and general information on a typical student budget, the right to request an annual credit report, average income and employment data, and financial management resources. Additionally, the bill revises, expands, or establishes specific annual counseling information requirements for student borrowers, Pell Grant recipients, or parent PLUS Loan borrowers.

(Sec. 3) The legislation revises and expands exit counseling information requirements to include an outstanding loan balance summary, the anticipated monthly payments under standard and income-based repayment plans, an explanation of the grace period preceding repayment, the option to pay accrued interest before it capitalizes, the right to request an annual credit report, and loan servicer contact information.

(Sec. 4) It directs ED to maintain a consumer-tested online counseling tool that provides annual and exit counseling.

(Sec. 5) The Institute of Education Sciences must study the impact and effectiveness of exit counseling, annual counseling, and the online counseling tool.

(Sec. 6) No additional funds are authorized to carry out the requirements of this bill.

Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov

About this bill and sources

Official title: Empowering Students Through Enhanced Financial Counseling Act

Latest action (Jul 12, 2016): Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Policy area: Education · Origin: House · Introduced: Jul 23, 2015

Official page on Congress.gov · Bill text (GovInfo) · Status record (XML)

  1. House Introduced Jul 23, 2015
  2. House Passed Jul 11, 2016

No recorded floor vote found.