[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2519 Introduced in House (IH)]






109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2519

To require the Secretary of Education to revise regulations for student 
  loan deferments with respect to borrowers who are medical or dental 
                               residents.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 23, 2005

 Mr. Andrews introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                Committee on Education and the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To require the Secretary of Education to revise regulations for student 
  loan deferments with respect to borrowers who are medical or dental 
                               residents.

    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 ``Healthcare Student Financial 
Assistance Act''.

SEC. 2. REGULATION REVISION REQUIRED.

    (a) Action Required.--Within 90 days after the date of enactment of 
this Act, the Secretary of Education shall revise the Department of 
Education regulations under the Federal Family Education Loan, Federal 
Direct Student Loan, and Perkins Loan programs with respect to 
deferment of student loan repayment (34 CFR 674.34, 682.210, 685.204) 
to comply with the requirements of subsection (b).
    (b) Requirements.--The student loan repayment deferment regulations 
shall be revised to provide with respect to borrowers who are in post-
graduate medical and dental residency and fellowship programs the 
following:
            (1) If a borrower entering such a residency or fellowship 
        program qualifies for deferment under the economic hardship 
        provision, the deferment shall be available for up to 5 years, 
        and the borrower shall not be required to apply annually.
            (2) If the borrower is in such a residency or fellowship 
        program and both is working full-time and has a Federal 
        education debt burden that equals or exceeds 20 percent of the 
        borrower's adjusted gross income, the borrower shall be 
        required, as a condition of the hardship deferment, to 
        demonstrate that the difference between the borrower's adjusted 
        gross income minus the Federal education debt burden is less 
        than 230 percent (not 220 percent) of the greater of--
                    (A) the annual earnings of an individual earning 
                minimum wage; or
                    (B) the official poverty line applicable to a 
                family of two.
            (3) If a borrower is entering a dental residency or 
        fellowship program in an institution that is, or is affiliated 
        with, an eligible institution for programs under title IV of 
        the Higher Education Act of 1965, the in-school deferment shall 
        be available for the duration of the residency or fellowship 
        program, but may not exceed 5 years.

SEC. 3. CLARIFICATION OF STUDENT DEFERMENT.

    Clause (i) of section 428(b)(1)(M) of the Higher Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 1078(b)(1)(M)(i)) is amended by inserting after 
``residency program'' the following: ``, and except that the preceding 
limitation shall not apply to a dental residency program''.
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