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H.R. 4256: Simple Income-Based Repayment Act

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H.R. 4256: Simple Income-Based Repayment Act

114th Congress · introduced 2015-12-15 · Education · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2015-12-15 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Rep. Murphy, Patrick [D-FL-18] · what a sponsor is
  3. What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
  4. Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
  5. If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Simple Income-Based Repayment Act

Plain summary

Simple Income-Based Repayment Act This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to replace several existing federal student loan programs for graduated, extended, income-contingent, and income-based repayment with a single repayment plan that caps annual debt repayments based on the borrower's income. Under the new program, loan payments are made automatically through voluntary wage withholding based on quarterly estimated payments. The new income-based repayment program shall be available to both new and existing borrowers, excluding borrowers of specified federal loans made on behalf of a dependent student. Existing repayment plans other than standard repayment shall generally be unavailable to new borrowers, although the Department of Education (ED) may make graduated and extended plans available to new borrowers who demonstrate exceptional circumstances. Under the program, an individual's income-based repayment obligation shall be limited to 10% of the excess of the individual's taxable income over a specified amount. In the case of a joint return of two married individuals who each have an eligible loan, the income-based repayment amount with respect to each spouse shall generally be determined by apportioning half of the total income to each spouse. ED must provide an online tool to enable borrowers to make direct payments and access information regarding their loans. In the event of underpayment, a borrower who does not request and receive a reduction must pay to ED an amount equal to the difference between the annual repayment amount and the sum of payments made for that taxable year. In the event of overpayment, ED shall either refund the overpayment amount to the borrower or apply the amount as prepayment to the borrower's loans. Loan forgiveness is available after 240 qualifying payments are made under the program.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Simple Income-Based Repayment Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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The strongest published arguments

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Murphy, Patrick [D-FL-18] · 0 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (2)
Bill
A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Obligation
A binding promise by a government agency to pay money, for example by signing a contract or awarding a grant. Spending data such as USAspending.gov counts money when it is obligated, which can be before it is actually paid out.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Record fed-us-cong114-hr4256 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong114 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong114