Expand Student Debt Relief for Parents

We urge Congress to pass the Parent PLUS Parity Act to provide fair and much-needed student debt relief to millions of parents who took on loans to help their children access higher education. Currently, over 3.9 million Parent PLUS borrowers hold $112 billion in student debt, many of whom are low-income or from marginalized communities.

This legislation will:
- Expand access to income-driven repayment plans for Parent PLUS borrowers and all FFEL borrowers.
- Allow parents to have their loans discharged if their child on whose behalf they’ve taken out loans becomes eligible for Total and Permanent Disability (TPD) discharge or has their own loans discharged under Borrower Defense.
- Ensure parents can access Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) benefits after their child on whose behalf they’ve taken out loans serves the standard amount of time (120 months) in qualifying public service employment.
- Direct the Secretary of Education to create a new hardship category program that will permit Parent PLUS borrowers to apply for loan discharge if they meet certain requirements based on income, borrower age, and other factors.

Parent PLUS borrowers have long been excluded from critical debt relief programs available to all other student loan borrowers. This disparity has created an unsustainable financial burden on millions of American families, especially those who are low-income and of color. 

We call on lawmakers to take swift action to pass the Parent PLUS Parity Act and ensure fairness in student loan repayment.