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SIMPLE Act

USA119th CongressHR-10220| House 
| Updated: 9/2/2026
Suzanne Bonamici

Suzanne Bonamici

Democratic Representative

Oregon

Cosponsors (6)
Frederica S. Wilson (Democratic)Raja Krishnamoorthi (Democratic)Mark Takano (Democratic)Lucy McBath (Democratic)Eleanor Holmes Norton (Democratic)Seth Moulton (Democratic)

Ways and Means Committee, Education and Workforce Committee

  • Introduced
  • In Committee
  • On Floor
  • Passed Chamber
  • Enacted
This legislation seeks to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide greater support for student loan borrowers who are delinquent on their loans or are rehabilitating defaulted loans. Its primary goal is to streamline access to income-driven repayment (IDR) plans through enhanced notification and automatic enrollment procedures. The bill also authorizes the Secretary of Education to use tax return information, with borrower approval, to determine income and family size for these purposes. For borrowers who are at least 31 days delinquent on a covered loan, the Secretary must provide a detailed notification. This notification includes information about their delinquency, all eligible repayment plans, and the estimated monthly payments under various options, including IDR plans. Borrowers are given clear instructions on how to select a repayment plan and can opt out of tax information disclosure at any time. A key provision involves automatic enrollment for persistently delinquent borrowers. If a borrower is 75 days delinquent, has not selected a new plan, and their current payments are higher than an available IDR plan, the Secretary will automatically enroll them in the IDR plan offering the lowest monthly payment. Borrowers retain the flexibility to change this automatically selected plan at any time. The bill also addresses borrowers rehabilitating defaulted loans. The Secretary is authorized to use approved tax information to determine income for these borrowers. After the 6th rehabilitation payment, borrowers will be notified of the process, and after the 9th payment, they will be automatically enrolled in the lowest-payment IDR plan if eligible. Supporting amendments include clarifying that borrowers with a $0 IDR payment may not need to provide additional income documentation for recertification. Most of the provisions related to automatic enrollment and the use of IRS data are set to take effect on July 1, 2028 , applying to award year 2028-2029 and subsequent years.
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Timeline

Bill from Previous Congress

HR 116-3833
SIMPLE Act

Bill from Previous Congress

HR 117-8522
SIMPLE Act

Bill from Previous Congress

HR 118-9192
SIMPLE Act
Sep 2, 2026
Introduced in House
Sep 2, 2026
Referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
  • Bill from Previous Congress

    HR 116-3833
    SIMPLE Act


  • Bill from Previous Congress

    HR 117-8522
    SIMPLE Act


  • Bill from Previous Congress

    HR 118-9192
    SIMPLE Act


  • September 2, 2026
    Introduced in House


  • September 2, 2026
    Referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

SIMPLE Act

USA119th CongressHR-10220| House 
| Updated: 9/2/2026
This legislation seeks to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide greater support for student loan borrowers who are delinquent on their loans or are rehabilitating defaulted loans. Its primary goal is to streamline access to income-driven repayment (IDR) plans through enhanced notification and automatic enrollment procedures. The bill also authorizes the Secretary of Education to use tax return information, with borrower approval, to determine income and family size for these purposes. For borrowers who are at least 31 days delinquent on a covered loan, the Secretary must provide a detailed notification. This notification includes information about their delinquency, all eligible repayment plans, and the estimated monthly payments under various options, including IDR plans. Borrowers are given clear instructions on how to select a repayment plan and can opt out of tax information disclosure at any time. A key provision involves automatic enrollment for persistently delinquent borrowers. If a borrower is 75 days delinquent, has not selected a new plan, and their current payments are higher than an available IDR plan, the Secretary will automatically enroll them in the IDR plan offering the lowest monthly payment. Borrowers retain the flexibility to change this automatically selected plan at any time. The bill also addresses borrowers rehabilitating defaulted loans. The Secretary is authorized to use approved tax information to determine income for these borrowers. After the 6th rehabilitation payment, borrowers will be notified of the process, and after the 9th payment, they will be automatically enrolled in the lowest-payment IDR plan if eligible. Supporting amendments include clarifying that borrowers with a $0 IDR payment may not need to provide additional income documentation for recertification. Most of the provisions related to automatic enrollment and the use of IRS data are set to take effect on July 1, 2028 , applying to award year 2028-2029 and subsequent years.
View Full Text

Suggested Questions

Get AI-generated questions to help you understand this bill better

Timeline

Bill from Previous Congress

HR 116-3833
SIMPLE Act

Bill from Previous Congress

HR 117-8522
SIMPLE Act

Bill from Previous Congress

HR 118-9192
SIMPLE Act
Sep 2, 2026
Introduced in House
Sep 2, 2026
Referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
  • Bill from Previous Congress

    HR 116-3833
    SIMPLE Act


  • Bill from Previous Congress

    HR 117-8522
    SIMPLE Act


  • Bill from Previous Congress

    HR 118-9192
    SIMPLE Act


  • September 2, 2026
    Introduced in House


  • September 2, 2026
    Referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Suzanne Bonamici

Suzanne Bonamici

Democratic Representative

Oregon

Cosponsors (6)
Frederica S. Wilson (Democratic)Raja Krishnamoorthi (Democratic)Mark Takano (Democratic)Lucy McBath (Democratic)Eleanor Holmes Norton (Democratic)Seth Moulton (Democratic)

Ways and Means Committee, Education and Workforce Committee

  • Introduced
  • In Committee
  • On Floor
  • Passed Chamber
  • Enacted