119th Congress · introduced in the House · Apr 23, 2026
Savings Opportunity and Affordable Repayment Act
Official title from Congress.gov
Latest action (Apr 23, 2026): Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
View on Congress.govPolicy area: Education
Congressional Research Service summary, version: Introduced in House (Apr 23, 2026)
Savings Opportunity and Affordable Repayment Act
This bill creates a new income-driven repayment plan for student loans called the Savings Opportunity and Affordable Repayment (SOAR) plan. The SOAR plan has similar provisions to, but further expands on, the Department of Education's (ED's) final rule published on July 10, 2023, that created the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) plan. The SAVE plan was blocked by federal courts.
The bill directs ED to carry out a SOAR plan program that complies with specified requirements. The bill allows all federal student loan types to be eligible for repayment under the SOAR plan, including Parent PLUS Loans and Federal Family Education Loans.
Under the SOAR plan, a federal student loan borrower whose income is at or below 250% of the federal poverty level (FPL) has $0 monthly payments. A borrower whose income is over 250% of the FPL pays 5% of their discretionary income on loans obtained for undergraduate study and 10% of their discretionary income for all other outstanding loans (e.g., loans obtained for graduate study).
Additionally, under the SOAR plan, holders of eligible federal student loans (e.g., ED or private lenders) must apply 50% of the borrower's monthly payment toward outstanding principal. The other 50% must be applied in the following order: (1) accrued charges and collection costs on the loan, (2) outstanding interest, and (3) outstanding principal.
ED must forgive any loan balance that remains outstanding after a specified maximum repayment period (e.g., 10 years or 15 years).
Includes amendment, cloture, and procedural votes. Each is labeled with its exact question; only a passage question is a vote to pass the bill.
No recorded roll calls on this bill in coverage.
Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
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LD-2 reports whose issue descriptions explicitly cite this bill (bill type and number validated against Congress.gov records). A citation does not establish the client's position or any contact with a member.
Loading lobbying reportsCoverage: reports for 2025 onward, posted Jan 1, 2025 through Oct 23, 2026.
2 citations.
AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS · lobbying firm or registrant: AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS
2026 Q3 report (Jul 1, 2026 – Sep 30, 2026) · posted Oct 20, 2026 · issue area: Education
$420,000
Spent on own lobbying
…0 - LGBTQUIA; and Section 815 and Executive Order #14372 Prioritizing the Warfighter in Defense Contracting. Predatory practices in higher education, generally H.R.8475/S.1220, Savings Opportunity and Affordable Repayment (SOAR) Act H.R.7892/S.4428, No Aid for Ghost Students Act of 2026 H.R.4658/S.3371, Protecting Students fro…
Congress inferred from the report year; bill number and the title cited with it match Congress.gov records, and the bill predates the report. The amount is lobbying spending for every issue on this report, not this bill alone, and none of it is paid to any member of Congress. View filing
AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS · lobbying firm or registrant: AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS
2026 Q2 report (Apr 1, 2026 – Jun 30, 2026) · posted Jul 20, 2026 · issue area: Education
$410,000
Spent on own lobbying
…generally H.R.8351, Clean Slate Through Repayment Act of 2026 H.R.8356, Clean Slate Through Consolidation Act H.R.8361, Clean Slate Through Rehabilitation Act H.R.8475/S.1220, Savings Opportunity and Affordable Repayment (SOAR) Act H.R.7891, Student Aid Fraud Oversight and Accountability Act of 2026 H.R.7892, No Aid for Ghost…
Congress inferred from the report year; bill number and the title cited with it match Congress.gov records, and the bill predates the report. The amount is lobbying spending for every issue on this report, not this bill alone, and none of it is paid to any member of Congress. View filing