[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 39 (Wednesday, March 1, 2023)]
[House]
[Page H976]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




INSTITUTES OF HIGHER EDUCATION MUST COUNSEL STUDENTS REGARDING STUDENT 
                               LOAN DEBT

  (Mrs. MILLER-MEEKS asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. MILLER-MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address the growing 
student loan debt in our Nation. Despite efforts by President Biden and 
the Democrats to forgive student loans, they are still a major 
financial commitment and should be treated as such.
  Before taking out Federal student loans, proper counseling for 
students should be required. We must ensure that our students are 
equipped with the guidance needed to make an informed decision and that 
they understand the process through which they pay these loans back.
  This week I reintroduced the Know Before You Owe Federal Student Loan 
Act with Representatives Feenstra, Hinson, Nunn, and Guest to require 
institutes of higher education to counsel students before any Federal 
loans are disbursed. This counseling would also require students to 
manually enter the exact dollar amount of funding requested and require 
that students receive regular loan statements throughout their 
undergraduate career.
  If we can help our students understand the process by which they 
receive Federal students loans and the interest, we will be one step 
closer to helping to relieve them of their debt through their career 
choices--unlike President Biden's loan which claims to erase these 
loans.
  Unfortunately, we can't just erase loans taken out. They must be paid 
back, just like a car loan or a mortgage. Erasing would only transfer 
the debt to other hardworking taxpayers.

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