A bill to amend the Bankruptcy Act to provide for the nondischargeability of certain student loan debts guaranteed or insured by the United States.
Latest action. public lawWhat a bill becomes when enacted, numbered by Congress and order of enactment: Public Law 119-4 is the 4th law of the 119th Congress.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) 96-56.
(Reported to Senate from the Committee on the Judiciary with amendment, S. Rept. 96-230) Amends the Bankruptcy Act to prohibit the discharge of any federally insured or guaranteed student loan prior to five years from the commencement of the repayment period for such loan unless the court determines that repayment from future income will impose an undue hardship on the bankrupt or the bankrupt's dependents. Stipulates that such prohibition shall apply with respect to any proceeding commenced under the Bankruptcy Act during the period beginning on the date of enactment of this Act and ending October 1, 1979. Subjects educational loans made, insured, or guaranteed in whole or in part by a governmental unit or made under any program funded in whole or in part by a government unit, or nonprofit institution of higher education to such prohibition. Excludes periods of deferment from the calculation of the first five years of the repayment period.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Reported to Senate with amendment(s)" stage on June 21, 1979. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Public Law 96-56.
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Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
The latest action on file does not map to a stage Civibrief recognizes, so the page will not name one. The record's own words are the reliable fact here.
The record's latest action, on August 14, 1979: Public Law 96-56.
How likely is it to become law?
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In the 96th Congress (1979-80), 613 of the 12,581 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 4.9 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one has no outstanding steps listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
DON EDWARDS (D-CA) introduced it on March 13, 1979. No cosponsors are recorded.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on March 13, 1979, 17348 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 17194 days ago, on August 14, 1979.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 96th Congress has not finished by January 3, 1981 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HousePublic Law 96-56.
- SenateNot stated in the latest action
- PresidentNot stated in the latest action