Act Now: Congress Could Ease Student Borrowers' Pain By Passing These Laws
Call on your elected officials to support these bills.
Now that you've read our reporton the student debt crisis, here's a list of senators to contact in order to urge their support on a number of bills that, if passed, would bring student borrowers some much-needed relief.
Here are the bills to talk to your elected officials about:
1. The Know Before You Owe Act (S. 113) would help ensure that students understand all of their options before they borrow money.
2. Fairness for Struggling Students Act (S. 114) would amend the bankruptcy code to allow some college graduates to discharge private student debt in bankruptcy.
3. Federal Student Loan Refinancing Act (S. 1066) would allow student borrowers to refinance at a fixed rate of 4 percent—a majority of borrowers have a rate of more than six percent.
4. Earnings Contingent Education Loans Act (H.R. 1716) would automatically enroll graduates in an income-based repayment program that would collect dues directly from their paychecks. (This bill was introduced in the House of Representatives, so call your congressmen instead of your senator for this one. For a quick way to find out who should contact and how to reach them, click here.)
And a new bill, introduced after press time, the Bank On Students Emergency Loan Refinancing Act (S. 2292) that would give those with outstanding federal and private student loan debt the opportunity to refinance at the rate offered to first-time borrowers (currently 3.86%).
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Who to call/tweet at:
Alabama
Sen. Jeff Sessions (R), @SenatorSessions
Sen. Richard C. Shelby (R), @SenShelby
Alaska
Sen. Mark Begich (D), @SenatorBegich
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R), @LisaMurkowski
Arizona
Sen. Jeff Flake (R), @JeffFlake
Sen. John McCain (R), @SenJohnMcCain
Arkansas
Sen. John Boozman (R), @JohnBoozman
Sen. Mark L. Pryor (D), @SenMarkPryor
California
Sen. Barbara Boxer (D), @SenatorBoxer
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D), @SenFeinstein
Colorado
Sen. Michael F. Bennet (D), @SenBennetCO
Sen. Mark Udall (D), @MarkUdall
Connecticut
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D), @SenBlumenthal
Sen. Chris Murphy (D), @ChrisMurphyCT
Delaware
Sen. Tom Carper (D), @SenatorCarper
Sen. Chris Coons (D), @ChrisCoons
Florida
Sen. Bill Nelson (D), @SenBillNelson
Sen. Marco Rubio (R), @MarcoRubio
Georgia
Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R), @SaxbyChambliss
Sen. Johnny Isakson (R), @SenatorIsakson
Hawaii
Sen. Mazie Hirono (D), @MazieHirono
Sen. Brian Schatz (D), @SenBrianSchatz
Idaho
Sen. Mike Crapo (R), @MikeCrapo
Sen. Jim Risch (R), @SenatorRisch
Illinois
Sen. Dick Durbin (D), @SenatorDurbin
Sen. Mark Kirk (R), @SenatorKirk
Indiana
Sen. Dan Coats (R), @SenDanCoats
Sen. Joe Donnelly (D), @SenDonnelly
Iowa
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R), @ChuckGrassley
Sen. Tom Harkin (D), @SenatorHarkin
Kansas
Sen. Jerry Moran (R), @JerryMoran
Sen. Pat Roberts (R), @SenPatRoberts
Kentucky
Sen. Mitch McConnell (R), @McConnellPress
Sen. Rand Paul (R), @SenRandPaul
Louisiana
Sen. Mary Landrieu (D), @MaryLandrieu
Sen. David Vitter (R), @DavidVitter
Maine
Sen. Susan Collins (R), @SenatorCollins
Sen. Angus King Jr. (I), @SenAngusKing
Maryland
Sen. Ben Cardin (D), @SenatorCardin
Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski (D), @SenatorBarb
Massachusetts
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D), @SenWarren
Sen. Edward J. Markey (D), @MarkeyMemo
Michigan
Sen. Carl Levin (D), @SenCarlLevin
Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D), @Stabenow
Minnesota
Sen. Al Franken (D), @AlFranken
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D), @AmyKlobuchar
Mississippi
Sen. Thad Cochran (R), @SenThadCochran
Sen. Roger F. Wicker (R), @SenatorWicker
Missouri
Sen. Roy Blunt (R), @RoyBlunt
Sen. Claire McCaskill (D), @Clairecmc
Montana
Sen. John E. Walsh (D), @SenWalshOffice
Sen. Jon Tester(D), @JonTester
Nebraska
Sen. Deb Fischer (R), @SenatorFischer
Sen. Mike Johanns (R), @Mike_Johanns
Nevada
Sen. Dean Heller (R), @SenDeanHeller
Sen. Harry Reid (D), @SenatorReid
New Hampshire
Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R), @KellyAyote
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D), @SenatorShaheen
New Jersey
Sen. Cory A. Booker (D), @CoryBooker
Sen. Robert Menendez (D), @SenatorMenendez
New Mexico
Sen. Martin Heinrich (D), @MartinHeinrich
Sen. Tom Udall (D), @SenatorTomUdall
New York
Sen. Kirsten E. Gillibrand (D), @SenGillibrand
Sen. Chuck Schumer (D), @ChuckSchumer
North Carolina
Sen. Richard Burr (R), @SenatorBurr
Sen. Kay R. Hagan (D), @SenatorHagan
North Dakota
Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D), @SenatorHeitkamp
Sen. John Hoeven (R), @SenJohnHoeven
Ohio
Sen. Sherrod Brown (D), @SenSherrodBrown
Sen. Rob Portman (R), @RobPortman
Oklahoma
Sen. Tom Coburn (R), @TomCoburn
Sen. Jim Inhofe (R), @JimInhofe
Oregon
Sen. Jeff Merkley (D), @SenJeffMerkley
Sen. Ron Wyden (D), @RonWyden
Pennsylvania
Sen. Bob Casey (D), @SenBobCasey
Sen. Pat Toomey (R), @SenToomey
Rhode Island
Sen. Jack Reed (D), @SenJackReed
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D), @SenWhitehouse
South Carolina
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R), @GrahamBlog
Sen. Tim Scott (R), @SenatorTimScott
South Dakota
Sen. Tim Johnson (D), @SenJohnsonSD
Sen. John Thune (R), @SenJohnThune
Tennessee
Sen. Lamar Alexander (R), @SenAlexander
Sen. Bob Corker (R), @SenBobCorker
Texas
Sen. John Cornyn (R), @JohnCornyn
Sen. Ted Cruz (R), @SenTedCruz
Utah
Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R), @OrrinHatch
Sen. Mike Lee (R), @SenMikeLee
Vermont
Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D), @SenatorLeahy
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I), @SenSanders
Virginia
Sen. Tim Kaine (D), @TimKaine
Sen. Mark R. Warner (D), @MarkWarner
Washington
Sen. Maria Cantwell (D), @MariaCantwell
Sen. Patty Murray (D), @PattyMurray
West Virginia
Sen. Joe Manchin III (D), @Sen_JoeManchin
Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D), @SenRockefeller
Wisconsin
Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D), @SenatorBaldwin
Sen. Ron Johnson (R), @SenRonJohnson
Wyoming
Sen. John Barrasso (R), @SenJohnBarrasso
Sen. Mike Enzi (R), @SenatorEnzi
YOUR STUDENT DEBT RELIEF CENTER:
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