HR8351Referred to Committee
Clean Slate through Repayment Act of 2026
Introduced
In Committee
3
Passed One Chamber4
Passed Both5
Signed into Law119th
Congress
2026-04-16
Introduced
3
Cosponsors
HR
ⓘType
Sponsor
Deborah K. Ross
Democrat · NC · Representative
Votes with party: 99.1% (552 recorded votes)
Full profile: /officials/R000305
Source: Congress.gov · FEC
Cosponsors (3)
Members who have signed on to support this bill since introduction. Source: Congress.gov.
Latest Action
The most recent step in the bill's legislative path. Committee Activity below shows referrals and reports; the full action-by-action history including floor proceedings lives at Congress.gov →
Committee Activity
Currently in
- House Committee on Education and WorkforceReferred To · 2026-04-16
Previously
- Education and Workforce CommitteeReferred To · 2026-04-16
Plain-English Summary
If a borrower repays a federal student loan that went into default, this bill would require that the default mark be removed from their credit report, giving them a fresh financial slate. This would help borrowers rebuild their credit scores after catching up on their payments, making it easier for them to qualify for mortgages, car loans, or other credit in the future. The change would primarily benefit student loan borrowers who have fallen behind but are now able to get current on their payments.
AI-assisted summary generated from the official bill metadata (title, subjects, actions) sourced from Congress.gov. Cached and reviewed. Always verify against the official text linked below.
Subjects
Education
Full Bill Text
Verbatim text published on Congress.gov via GovInfo. Use Cmd+F / Ctrl+F to search within this excerpt.
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H.R. 8351 Introduced in House (IH)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 8351 To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to remove from a borrower's credit history the record of default on a defaulted loan made, insured, or guaranteed under title IV of such Act upon repayment of the full amount due on such loan, and for other purposes. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES April 16, 2026 Ms. Ross (for herself, Ms. Stevens, Ms. Williams of Georgia, and Ms. Adams) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to remove from a borrower's credit history the record of default on a defaulted loan made, insured, or guaranteed under title IV of such Act upon repayment of the full amount due on such loan, and for other purposes. 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 ``Clean Slate through Repayment Act of 2026''. SEC. 2. REMOVAL OF RECORD OF DEFAULT. Part G of title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1088 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following: ``SEC. 494A. REMOVAL OF RECORD OF DEFAULT. ``With respect to a borrower who repays in full the amount due on a defaulted loan made, insured, or guaranteed under this title, the Secretary, guaranty agency, or other holder of the loan, as applicable, shall request that any consumer reporting agency to which the default was reported remove the default (and any related adverse information) from such borrower's credit history.''. <all>
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