,,ii  #aaith ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #cjgj  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,october #bi1  
#bjbe ,ms4 ,alsobrooks 7for herself1    
,mr4 ,van ,hollen1 ,ms4 ,warren1 ,mr4   
,blumenthal1 ,mr4 ,warner1 ,ms4 ,hirono1
 ,mr4 ,wyden1 ,mr4 ,kim1 ,mr4 ,markey1  
,mr4 ,lujn1 ,mr4 ,merkley1 ,mr4 ,kaine1 
,mr4 ,sanders1 ,mr4 ,booker1 and ,mrs4  
,gillibrand7 introduced the following   
bill2 which was read twice and referred 
to the ,committee on ,health1           
,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions  ,a   
,,bill  ,to provide ,federal student    
loan borrower relief for ,federal       
employees4  #a4  ,short title  ,this    
,act may be cited as the ,shutdown      
,student ,loans for ,feds ,act4  #b4    
,federal student loan borrower relief   
for ,federal employees  7a7             
,definitions  ,in this section-- 7#a7   
the term agency means each authority of 
the executive1 legislative1 or judicial 
branch of the ,government of the ,united
 ,states2 and  7#b7 the term covered    

individual-- 7,a7 means an employee of  
an agency1 without regard to whether the
 employee is1 during a period during    
which there is a lapse in appropriations
 with respect to the agency--  7i7      
determined to be an excepted employee or
 an employee performing emergency work1 
as those terms are defined by the       
,office of ,personnel ,management2 or   
7ii7 subject to furlough2  7,b7 includes
 a contractor who--  7i7 as part of the 
ordinary job duties of the individual1  
provides support to any employee        
described in subparagraph 7,a72 and     
7ii7 during a lapse in appropriations   
with respect to the applicable agency1  
does not provide the services described 
in clause 7i72 and  7,c7 does not       
include an individual described in      
subparagraph 7,a7 or 7,b7 who1 during a 
period during which there is a lapse in 
appropriations with respect to the      
applicable agency1 is paid the basic pay
 ordinarily payable to the individual4  
7b7  ,relief  ,during any period in     

fiscal year #bjbf or any subsequent     
fiscal year during which there is a     
lapse in appropriations of not less than
 #ad days with respect to an agency1 the
 ,secretary of ,education shall suspend 
all payments due by covered individuals 
for loans made under part ,d of title   
,,iv of the ,higher ,education ,act of  
#aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajhg;a et seq474  
7c7  ,no accrual of interest            
,notwithstanding any other provision of 
the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife    
7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajja et seq471 interest 
shall not accrue on a loan described    
under subsection 7b7 for which payment  
was suspended for the period of the     
suspension4  7d7  ,consideration of     
payments  ,notwithstanding any other    
provision of the ,higher ,education ,act
 of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajja et seq471
 the ,secretary shall deem each month   
for which a loan payment was suspended  
under this section as if the borrower of
 the loan had made a payment for the    
purpose of any loan forgiveness program 

authorized under part ,d of title ,,iv  
of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 
7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajhg;a et seq47 for     
which the borrower would have otherwise 
qualified4  7e7  ,reporting to consumer 
reporting agencies  ,during the period  
in which the ,secretary suspends        
payments on a loan under subsection 7b71
 the ,secretary shall ensure that1 for  
the purpose of reporting information    
about the loan to a consumer reporting  
agency1 any payment that has been       
suspended is treated as if it were a    
regularly scheduled payment made by a   
covered individual4  7f7  ,retroactive  
effective date  7#a7  ,in general  ,this
 ,act shall take effect as if enacted on
 ,september #cj1 #bjbe4  7#b7  ,refunds 
,the ,secretary of ,education may issue 
a refund for any loan payment made by a 
covered individual--  7,a7 for a loan   
made under part ,d of title ,,iv of the 
,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj   
,u4,s4,c4 #ajhg;a et seq47 during any   
period in fiscal year #bjbf or any      

subsequent fiscal year during which     
there is a lapse in appropriations of   
not less than #ad days with respect to  
the agency at which the individual is an
 employee2 and  7,b7 if requested by    
such covered individual4