H.R. 5617: Underwater Student Borrowers Act

114th Congress · introduced 2016-07-01 · Taxation · Latest: Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2016-07-01 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Pocan, Mark [D-WI-2] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
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

Underwater Student Borrowers Act

Plain summary

Underwater Student Borrowers Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the exclusion from gross income of income attributable to the discharge of student loan indebtedness, to: (1) include indebtedness discharged due to income-contingent and income-based repayment plans, the death or disability of the borrower, or the closing of an educational institution; and (2) revise the definition of "student loan" to mean a loan made by any lender, including a loan for the refinancing of an existing loan.

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

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

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A “Nay” vote

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What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Underwater Student Borrowers Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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The strongest published arguments

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

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Pocan, Mark [D-WI-2] · 20 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Frederica S. Wilson (D-FL), Mark Takano (D-CA), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Gwen Moore (D-WI), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), James P. McGovern (D-MA), Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY), Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA), Brendan F. Boyle (D-PA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD)

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Pocan, Mark [D-WI-2] reported raising $1.0 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

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 (1)

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).

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-114hr5617.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/114/hr>

Record fed-us-cong114-hr5617 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong114 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong114