Sheila Jackson Lee: “As a senior member of the Judiciary, Homeland, and Budget Committees, I rise in strong support of S. 1153, the ``Stop…”

“As a senior member of the Judiciary, Homeland, and Budget Committees, I rise in strong support of S. 1153, the ``Stop Student Debt Relief Scams Act,'' which helps protect borrowers from deceptive student debt relief scams by enhancing law enforcement and administrative abilities to identify and shut down such student debt relief scams. With ordinary Americans facing nearly $1.5 trillion in student loan debt, borrowers are looking for relief wherever they can find it but unfortunately many borrowers do not receive the right information about how to find out and qualify for opportunities to get help with lowering or postponing their payments or applying for relief, nearly all of which is available for free. These include income-driven repayment, deferment, forbearance, consolidation, rehabilitation, and even some programs for loan forgiveness. Debt relief scams falsely promise borrowers a quick fix with little hassle and their business model is to robocall student loan borrowers until they agree to pay thousands of dollars in unnecessary and exorbitant fees for services that are already available for free. They claim to reduce or forgive borrowers' student debt and take care of all the paperwork. Some even purport to be associated with the federal government.…”