Higher Education Military Service Student Loan Cancellation Act
Latest action. Referred to Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources.
Higher Education Military Service Student Loan Cancellation Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to direct the Commissioner of Education to repay or cancel specified amounts or percents of student loans made after October 1, 1975, under the federally insured or guaranteed and the national direct student loan programs, for military service after October 1, 1980 by the borrower. Provides that, for each complete year of service, amounts eligible to be repaid or cancelled are: (1) $500 or ten percent of the loan, for enlisted members of the Selected Reserve of the Ready Reserve of the Armed Forces; or (2) $1,000 or 20 percent of the loan, whichever is greater, for enlisted members of the Armed Forces on active duty. Authorizes appropriations in specified amounts for such purposes for fiscal year 1981 through 1985. Directs the Secretary of Defense to prescribe a fund allocation schedule during any year for which such appropriation is not sufficient to pay the sum of the amounts eligible for repayment or cancellation, giving priority for service that qualifies for special pay in an area of hostilities.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in Senate" stage on December 4, 1979. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on December 4, 1979: Referred to Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the Senate
- Passage by the House
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
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 is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, 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?
WILLIAM COHEN (R-ME) introduced it on December 4, 1979, and 10 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 2 Democrats, 8 Republicans.
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 December 4, 1979, 17129 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 17129 days ago, on December 4, 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
- SenateIn committee, no floor vote yet
- HouseAwaits Senate passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers