September 07, 2017

Senator Warren Secures Protections for Student Borrowers in Labor-HHS-Ed Appropriations Bill

Bill Includes Warren Legislation to Restore Pell Grants and Strengthen Accountability of Student Loan Servicers

Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), today announced the inclusion of multiple bills she proposed to protect students, including Pell Grant recipients and veterans, as part of the Senate Fiscal Year 2018 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill approved today by the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Senator Warren successfully fought for the inclusion of bills based on the Pell Grant Restoration Act of 2017 and the bipartisan Student Loan Servicer Accountability Act, and for the inclusion of report language to ensure servicemembers and veterans with student loans receive the appropriate benefits.

"Hardworking students shouldn't have to worry about being cheated by predatory for-profit colleges or gouged by student loan servicers," Senator Warren said. "I'm glad that this year's appropriations bill includes several strong measures to better protect students."

Senator Warren secured the following in the Senate Fiscal Year 2018 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill and committee report:

  • Restoration of Pell Grants: A provision in the bill to help Pell Grant recipients who were cheated by their colleges, including former Corinthian College students. The provision restores full eligibility for students who attended an institution of higher education that defrauded them, allowing them the chance to go back to school and finish their degree. This amendment is modeled on the Pell Grant Restoration Act of 2017, introduced earlier this year by Senators Warren, Hirono, Brown and Murphy.

  • Strengthened Student Loan Servicer Accountability: A provision in the bill to benefit student loan borrowers and taxpayers by protecting and strengthening performance-based accountability of federal student loan servicers through greater competition. This (provision) is modeled on the bipartisan Student Loan Servicer Accountability Act, introduced earlier this year by Senators Warren, Blunt, Shaheen and Lankford.

  • Benefits for Veteran and Military Borrowers: Report language urging the Department of Education to work with the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs to automate the application of student loan benefits available to military and veteran borrowers using information in existing federal databases, and help ensure servicemembers and veterans receive benefits to which they are entitled. Senator Warren included similar report language in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 that was approved by the Senate Armed Services Committee in June.

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