[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3524 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 3524
To establish an interactive online dashboard to improve public access
to information about student loan forgiveness programs, repayment
programs, and repayment plans.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
December 14, 2023
Mr. Manchin (for himself and Mr. Braun) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish an interactive online dashboard to improve public access
to information about student loan forgiveness programs, repayment
programs, and repayment plans.
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 ``Streamlining More Accessible,
Reliable and Transparent Educational Resources for Debt Act'' or the
``SMARTER Debt Act''.
SEC. 2. INTERACTIVE DASHBOARD.
(a) Establishment.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 2 years after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Education (referred to
in this section as the ``Secretary'') shall establish and
operate an interactive, internet website-based dashboard
(referred to in this section as the ``dashboard'') that
improves public access to information about student loan
forgiveness and cancellation programs, repayment programs, and
repayment plans, that are authorized under Federal law,
including for potential applicants for such programs and plans.
(2) Design.--The dashboard shall be designed in a manner
that complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
(42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.) and section 508 of the Rehabilitation
Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794d).
(3) Consultation.--
(A) In general.--In establishing the dashboard
under paragraph (1), the Secretary may consult with--
(i) the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, the
Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Health
and Human Services, the Secretary of
Agriculture, the Secretary of Labor, the Chief
Executive Officer of the Corporation for
National and Community Service, the Secretary
of each military department, the Attorney
General, the Director of the Office of
Personnel Management, the Capitol Police Board,
the President pro tempore of the Senate, the
Chief Administrative Officer of the House of
Representatives, and heads of other relevant
agencies, as the Secretary determines
appropriate;
(ii) Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations
(as defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-
Determination and Education Assistance Act (25
U.S.C. 5304)); and
(iii) relevant entities who may use the
dashboard, including--
(I) students and prospective
students at institutions of higher
education;
(II) institutions of higher
education, including historically Black
colleges and universities (as defined
for purposes of section 322 of the
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
1061), Tribal colleges or universities
(as defined in section 316(b) of the
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
1059c(b)), and other minority-serving
institutions, as such institutions are
described in section 371(a) of the
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
1067q));
(III) local educational agencies
and secondary schools (as such terms
are defined in section 8101 of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act
of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801));
(IV) State educational agencies (as
defined in such section 8101);
(V) nonprofit organizations; and
(VI) any other entities that the
Secretary determines are relevant.
(B) Topics.--The consultation with stakeholders and
entities described in subparagraph (A)(ii) shall be
with respect to elements of the dashboard, such as
search functions, grant data, user-friendly design, and
any other elements that the Secretary determines are
appropriate for purposes of this subsection.
(4) Implementation plan.--The Secretary, in consultation
with representatives of relevant agencies described in
paragraph (3)(A), shall, not later than 180 days after the date
of enactment of this Act, publicly issue a plan to launch the
dashboard, including opportunities to improve upon existing
publicly accessible websites that may be updated by the
Secretary to meet the requirements under subsection (c).
(b) Updates.--The Secretary shall continually maintain the
dashboard established under subsection (a) to keep up-to-date
information about all relevant programs posted.
(c) Requirements.--The dashboard established under subsection (a)
shall, at a minimum, meet the following requirements:
(1) Provide the following information:
(A) The name of each program authorized under
Federal law that--
(i) provides for the cancellation or
forgiveness of all, or a portion of, covered
student loans for certain eligible individuals;
(ii) provides that an entity (such as an
employing office) may agree to repay, by direct
payments on behalf of certain eligible
individuals, some or all of the covered student
loan indebtedness of such eligible individuals
that is outstanding; or
(iii) provides for an income-driven
repayment plan that sets monthly student loan
payments at an amount that is intended to be
affordable based on income and family size.
(B) An explanation about whether the authorized
program is currently operating.
(C) An explanation of who may be eligible or
qualify for that program, including requirements
relating to employment, loan type, military service, or
other requirements.
(2) Allow individuals to search the dashboard by key
categories for which programs are available, including by
career field, program of study, and loan type, and by location
(if applicable).
(3) Provide, as appropriate, access or links to the
respective program information pages and online applications.
(d) Covered Student Loan.--In this Act, the term ``covered student
loan'' means--
(1) a loan made, insured, or guaranteed under title IV of
the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070 et seq.),
including Federal Family Education Loans under part B of such
title, Federal Direct Loans under part D of such title, and
Federal Perkins Loans under part E of such title;
(2) a health education assistance loan made or insured
under part A of title VII of the Public Health Service Act (42
U.S.C. 292 et seq.), or under part E of title VIII of such Act
(42 U.S.C. 297a et seq.); or
(3) another loan for postsecondary education that is made,
insured, or guaranteed by the Federal Government.
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