The House passed a bill on Wednesday that allows spouses who combined their student debts under a federal program to split their loans, sending the legislation to President Biden’s desk, The Hill reported. Democrats have touted the bill for making hundreds of additional Americans eligible for loan forgiveness, which also allows some borrowers to escape joint loans in cases of divorce or domestic abuse. The legislation, titled the Joint Consolidation Loan Separation Act, passed in a 232-193 vote, with 14 GOP members joining Democrats in support. The Senate approved the bill by unanimous consent in June. Biden is expected to sign it into law — the Office of Management and Budget earlier this week said the administration supports the legislation. Under the measure, borrowers who are still tied to a joint consolidation loan — taken out through an Education Department program that was in existence for 13 years until 2006 — would have the opportunity to fill out an application requesting that the department split their credit into two separate direct loans.
