| Bipartisan Student Loan Certainty Act of 2013; Smarter Solutions for Students Act | |
| Fullname: | To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to establish interest rates for new loans made on or after July 1, 2013. |
| Introduced In The: | 113th |
| Sponsored By: | Rep. John Kline (R, MN-2) |
| Public Law Url: | 113-28 |
| Acts Affected: | Higher Education Act of 1965 |
| Introducedin: | House |
| Introducedby: | John Kline (R–MN) |
| Introduceddate: | May 9, 2013 |
| Committees: | United States House Committee on Education and the Workforce, United States House Committee on the Budget, |
| Passedbody1: | House |
| Passeddate1: | May 23, 2013 |
| Passedvote1: | Roll Call Vote 183 221-198 |
| Passedbody2: | Senate |
| Passedas2: | Bipartisan Student Loan Certainty Act of 2013 |
| Passeddate2: | July 24, 2013 |
| Passedvote2: | 81-18 |
| Passedbody3: | House |
| Passeddate3: | July 31, 2013 |
| Passedvote3: | 392-31 |
| Signedpresident: | Barack Obama |
| Signeddate: | August 9, 2013 |
The Bipartisan Student Loan Certainty Act of 2013 was a bill signed into law by President Barack Obama on August 9, 2013,[1] which, after more than a month of contentious debate between both parties about higher education and how the government should distribute loans, sets federal student loan rates to financial markets on all DIRECT student loans disbursed on or after July 1, 2013. There are maximum rate caps for Undergrad, Graduate PLUS and Parent PLUS loans. Democrats had originally planned to extend the low 3.4% rate for another 1–2 years but the bill, sponsored by Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI), was filibustered. Republicans in the House created a market-based approach, and the two sides eventually reconciled, after Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Sen. Angus King (I-ME) broke away from the Democratic Caucus to side up with the Republican bill, to prevent undesired gridlock.[2]