HR8356Referred to Committee
Clean Slate through Consolidation Act
Introduced
In Committee
3
Passed One Chamber4
Passed Both5
Signed into Law119th
Congress
2026-04-16
Introduced
3
Cosponsors
HR
ⓘType
Sponsor
Haley M. Stevens
Democrat · MI · Representative
Votes with party: 96.4% (555 recorded votes)
Full profile: /officials/S001215
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
When borrowers consolidate their defaulted federal student loans into a new Direct Consolidation Loan, this bill would require credit reporting agencies to remove the default mark from their credit history once the consolidation is complete. This would help borrowers rebuild their credit scores more quickly after defaulting on student loans, making it easier for them to qualify for mortgages, car loans, and other credit in the future. The change would primarily benefit student loan borrowers who have fallen behind on payments and are trying to get back on track.
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. 8356 Introduced in House (IH)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 8356 To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require the removal of the record of default from credit history upon obtaining a Federal Direct Consolidation Loan that discharges the defaulted loan. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES April 16, 2026 Ms. Stevens (for herself, Ms. Adams, Ms. Ross, and Ms. Williams of Georgia) 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 require the removal of the record of default from credit history upon obtaining a Federal Direct Consolidation Loan that discharges the defaulted loan. 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 Consolidation Act''. SEC. 2. REMOVAL OF RECORD OF DEFAULT FROM CREDIT HISTORY UPON LOAN CONSOLIDATION. Section 455(g) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087e(g)) is amended by adding at the end the following: ``(4) Consumer reporting agencies.--With respect to a borrower who obtains a Federal Direct Consolidation Loan that discharges the liability on a defaulted loan made, insured, or guaranteed under this title, the Secretary, guaranty agency, or other holder of such loan shall request that any consumer reporting agency to which the default was reported remove the default from the borrower's credit history.''. <all>
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