Active Reservists and National Guard Student Loan Relief Act of 2003

Active Reservists and National Guard Student Loan Relief Act of 2003 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide for deferments of repayments and for Federal interest subsidy payments on student loans for borrowers who are called to active duty.

Provides such deferments and interest payments for up to three years under the Federal Family Education Loan, direct subsidized loan, and Perkins loan programs.

[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1168 Introduced in House (IH)]







108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1168

  To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide deferments and 
  interest payments for borrowers of student loans who are called to 
                              active duty.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 10, 2003

Mr. Ryan of Ohio (for himself, Mr. Acevedo-Vila, Mr. Brown of Ohio, Mr. 
Chabot, Mr. Etheridge, Mr. Farr, Mr. Ford, Mr. Frank of Massachusetts, 
  Mr. Frost, Mr. Holden, Mr. Inslee, Mrs. Jones of Ohio, Mr. Jones of 
 North Carolina, Ms. Kaptur, Mr. Kildee, Mr. LaTourette, Mrs. McCarthy 
     of New York, Mr. McGovern, Mrs. Maloney, Mr. George Miller of 
  California, Mr. Owens, Mr. Reyes, Mr. Serrano, Mr. Simmons, and Mr. 
Smith of Washington) introduced the following bill; which was referred 
            to the Committee on Education and the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide deferments and 
  interest payments for borrowers of student loans who are called to 
                              active duty.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Active Reservists and National Guard 
Student Loan Relief Act of 2003''.

SEC. 2. DEFERMENT DURING ACTIVE DUTY.

    (a) FFEL and Direct Subidized Loans.--Section 428(b)(1)(M) of the 
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1078(b)(1)(M)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``or'' at the end of clause (ii);
            (2) by inserting ``or'' after the semicolon at the end of 
        clause (iii); and
            (3) by inserting after clause (iii) the following new 
        clause:
                            ``(iv) not in excess of 3 years during 
                        which the borrower--
                                    ``(I) is on active duty under 
                                section 688, 12301(a), 12301(g), 12302, 
                                12304, 12306, or 12406, or chapter 15 
                                of title 10, United States Code, or any 
                                other provision of law during a war or 
                                during a national emergency declared by 
                                the President or Congress, regardless 
                                of the location at which such active 
                                duty service is performed; or
                                    ``(II) in the case of a member of 
                                the National Guard, is on full-time 
                                National Guard duty (as defined in 
                                section 101(d)(5) of title 10, United 
                                States Code) under a call to active 
                                service authorized by the President or 
                                the Secretary of Defense for a period 
                                of more than 30 consecutive days under 
                                section 502(f) of title 32, United 
                                States Code, for purposes of responding 
                                to a national emergency declared by the 
                                President and supported by Federal 
                                funds.''.
    (b) Perkins Loans.--Section 464(c)(2)(A) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 
1087dd(c)(2)(A)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``or'' at the end of clause (iii);
            (2) by inserting ``or'' after the semicolon at the end of 
        clause (iv); and
            (3) by inserting after clause (iii) the following new 
        clause:
                            ``(v) not in excess of 3 years during which 
                        the borrower--
                                    ``(I) is on active duty under 
                                section 688, 12301(a), 12301(g), 12302, 
                                12304, 12306, or 12406, or chapter 15 
                                of title 10, United States Code, or any 
                                other provision of law during a war or 
                                during a national emergency declared by 
                                the President or Congress, regardless 
                                of the location at which such active 
                                duty service is performed; or
                                    ``(II) in the case of a member of 
                                the National Guard, is on full-time 
                                National Guard duty (as defined in 
                                section 101(d)(5) of title 10, United 
                                States Code) under a call to active 
                                service authorized by the President or 
                                the Secretary of Defense for a period 
                                of more than 30 consecutive days under 
                                section 502(f) of title 32, United 
                                States Code, for purposes of responding 
                                to a national emergency declared by the 
                                President and supported by Federal 
                                funds.''.

SEC. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    The amendments made by section 2 shall apply with respect to loans 
for which the first disbursement is made on or after July 1, 1993, to 
an individual who is a new borrower (within the meaning of section 103 
of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1003)) on the date such 
individual applies for a loan.
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