[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 187 (Wednesday, November 15, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S7256]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  ILLINOIS STUDENT LOAN BILL OF RIGHTS

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, last week my home State of Illinois took a 
major step forward in protecting student loan borrowers.
  On November 7, the Illinois House of Representatives voted 98 to 16 
to override Governor Rauner's veto of the Illinois Student Loan Bill of 
Rights, which was designed to protect student loan borrowers from the 
well documented abuses of Federal student loan servicers. The Illinois 
Senate previously voted 37 to 19 to override. With the house's action, 
the bill became law.
  I would like to thank all of those in the general assembly who voted 
for this bill, including Senator Daniel Biss and Representative Will 
Guzzardi, who sponsored the legislation. I would also like to thank the 
legislation's author, Attorney General Lisa Madigan, for her leadership 
and tireless efforts to investigate and hold Federal student loan 
servicers accountable.
  Federal student loan servicers are contracted by the U.S. Department 
of Education to handle the billing and other services related to the 
repayment of a Federal student loan. Too often, these contractors make 
it more difficult for students to repay their loans by giving them 
incorrect or incomplete information and guidance, refusing to provide 
benefits to which students are entitled under Federal law, or 
incorrectly processing payments. I have heard complaints about 
servicers from countless of the 1.5 million Illinoisans holding a 
cumulative total of $51 billion in Federal student loan debt.
  Attorney General Madigan has heard those complaints too. In response, 
she initiated an investigation which resulted in an ongoing lawsuit 
against the Nation's largest student loan servicer, Navient. Navient 
has become the poster child for poor customer service and abusive 
practices that make it more difficult for struggling borrowers to repay 
their Federal student loans.
  The Illinois Student Loan Bill of Rights will help to protect 
Illinois borrowers from these practices. Among other things, the law 
requires servicers to inform borrowers about their eligibility for 
income-driven repayment plans and other affordable repayment options. 
It also prohibits servicers from misleading borrowers, requires them to 
correctly process payments, and requires servicers to inform borrowers 
about their eligibility for loan forgiveness due to a disability or 
harmful actions by the school.
  I have worked at the Federal level to provide similar protections for 
all student loan borrowers. I authored the Federal Student Loan 
Borrower Bill of Rights, which I will reintroduce in the coming months. 
This bill was the basis for reforms to student loan servicing contracts 
initiated by President Obama. Unfortunately, much of that work has been 
rolled back by Secretary Betsy DeVos.
  Thanks to Attorney General Madigan and the bipartisan actions of the 
Illinois General Assembly, borrowers in our State will now have new 
rights and protections that neither Governor Rauner nor Secretary DeVos 
can take away.

                          ____________________