[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 9 (Wednesday, January 15, 2020)]
[House]
[Page H252]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               PROVIDE CONSUMER PROTECTIONS FOR STUDENTS

  (Mrs. HAYES asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. HAYES. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.J. Res. 76, a 
resolution of disapproval of the Secretary of Education's new borrower 
defense rule.
  This rule guts consumer protections for students and taxpayers and 
makes it more difficult for students to access relief for loans 
obtained for degrees that have no value.
  Over 1,200 students in Connecticut have been defrauded by predatory 
for-profit colleges like Corinthian and ITT Tech and still await 
relief. The Department has made the approval process more difficult, 
leaving hundreds of thousands of students desperately waiting for 
answers.
  Too many first-generation, low-income students, student veterans, and 
students of color are lured into these fraudulent schools that 
prioritize profits over helping students advance their education.
  The DeVos rule eliminates automatic closed school discharges and 
weakens the early warning system that forces institutions to invest in 
the potential debt relief. It puts a greater burden of proof on 
students, barring them from relief if they cannot file their claims 
fast enough.
  As a career educator who truly understands the equalizing power of 
education, I say it is unconscionable that the Department of Education 
and the Secretary do not feel a moral imperative to protect students.
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

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