Student Debt Emergency Relief Act

Student Debt Emergency Relief Act

This bill establishes and provides funds for federal student loan repayment assistance programs during a national emergency, including the public health emergency caused by the coronavirus (i.e., the virus that causes COVID-19).

Specifically, the bill requires the Department of Education (ED) to make monthly payments for borrowers of Federal Direct Loans, Federal Family Education Loans, and Perkins Loans during a national emergency. ED must also pay any interest on such loans during the emergency.

Additionally, ED must

• deem each month for which ED made a payment on behalf of the borrower as a qualifying payment for the purpose of certain loan forgiveness programs or loan rehabilitation programs;
• ensure that any payment on such a loan is treated as a regularly scheduled payment made by a borrower for the purpose of reporting information about the loan to a consumer reporting agency;
• notify borrowers, within 15 days and monthly thereafter, of the benefits provided by ED during the national emergency; and
• suspend all involuntary collections related to such loans, including wage garnishments, reductions of tax refunds, and reductions of certain federal benefit payments, such as Social Security.

ED must (1) make monthly payments until authorized by Congress to terminate the program, (2) carry out a 90-day transition period, and (3) apply a minimum amount of payments to loans for each borrower.

Payments made by ED as a result of a national emergency shall be excluded from the taxpayer's gross income.

Interest shall not be capitalized during or after the national emergency.