Higher Ed Policy Roundup: Vol. 9 - Issue 18

On Monday, the Education Department (ED) published a notice in the Federal Register regarding ED’s plan to make changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program and income-driven repayment (IDR) plans. Recall that, in early April, ED announced it would undertake a negotiated rulemaking process to refine the definition of a qualifying employer for the purposes of determining eligibility for the PSLF program, in alignment with a recent executive order signed by the President. Based on comments received by ED, the scope of the rulemaking will be:

1. Refining definitions of a qualifying employer for the purposes of determining eligibility for the PSLF program.
2. Revisiting family size, restructuring repayment plan provisions, including the alternative repayment plan, and certain other provisions of the July 10, 2023 rule.

Additionally, ED is requesting nominations for individual negotiators representing key stakeholder constituencies to serve on the rulemaking committee. Nominations for negotiators must be submitted by June 2. The rulemaking committee will meet between June 30 and July 2, and members of the public will have an opportunity to view the meeting and offer comments via livestream.

On Tuesday, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released four new priority recommendations for ED. GAO makes these recommendations so that agencies can save money; improve congressional and/or executive branch decision-making on major issues; eliminate mismanagement, fraud, and abuse; or ensure that programs comply with laws and funds are legally spent. The new recommendations come after GAO identified five other priority recommendations for ED in May 2024. The new recommendations include:

• Improving the federal student aid system;
• Managing financial risks associated with charter school management organizations; and
• Protecting sensitive information.

The National Conference of State Legislatures maintains an online, monthly updated Student Loan Bill Tracking Database that allows users to search by category, year, status, and state or territory.

The following bill(s) have been recently introduced for consideration by the 119th Congress (2025-26):

S. 1764 – Ending Administrative Wage Garnishment Act [Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ)] would suspend and reform the Secretary of Education’s authority to use wage garnishment as a tool for federal student loan debt collection. A companion bill, H.R. 3412, was introduced in the House by Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA-7).

H.R. 3267 – Public Service Student Loan Payment Completion Fairness Act [Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA-6)] would ensure that individuals who have completed qualifying public service are eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness.

H.R. 3281 – Land-Grant Institution Parity Act [Rep. Shomari Figures (D-AL-2)] would prohibit the reduction, suspension, or elimination of funding for land-grant colleges and universities.

H.R. 3282 – [Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL-6)] would prohibit discrimination on the basis of religion under any program or activity at an institution of higher education that receives federal financial assistance and require rigorous enforcement of this prohibition.

H.R. 3298 – Know Before You Owe Federal Student Loan Act [Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA-1)] would enhance federal loan counseling requirements by mandating annual counseling before new loans are disbursed and allowing students to choose how much to borrow rather than defaulting to the maximum amount.

H.R. 3345 – Sovereign States Education Restoration Act [Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA-3)] would abolish the Department of Education.