Department of Education Publishes Intent to Establish a Negotiated Rulemaking Committee to Develop Pay as You Earn Expansion Regulations

Student Lending

On September 3, the Department of Education (the “Department”) announced its intent to establish a negotiated rulemaking committee to help develop regulations to allow more student borrowers of Federal Direct Loans to use the Pay as You Earn Repayment Plan (“PAYE Plan”). President Obama expanded the eligibility for the PAYE Plan, which caps payments at 10% of annual income, in a Presidential Memorandum issued on June 9, 2014 in which he charged the Department to establish new regulations to implement this expansion. The Department intends to select participants for the committee from nominees of the organizations and groups that represent the interests significantly affected by the proposed regulations. The Department will hold two public hearings, on October 23 and November 4, to discuss the rulemaking agenda and plans to thereafter establish a committee. The Department expects that the committee will begin negotiations in February 2015 and will meet in the Washington, DC area.