Ending Administrative Garnishment Act of 2025
Sponsored By: Senator Cory Booker
Introduced
Summary
Suspends federal administrative wage garnishment for student loans while creating a one-year, conditional pathway for either reauthorizing garnishment or ending it permanently. This would require new refund rules, employer verification, data collection, and stronger remedies for improper garnishments.
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- Borrowers: Wage garnishment would be paused and loans outstanding more than 10 years could not be garnished. If wages are improperly taken the Education Department must pay the borrower twice the amount within 10 days.
- Employers and third parties: Employers could be sued by the Secretary, a guaranty agency, or an individual to recover improperly withheld wages and may face actual damages, attorneys' fees, costs, and possible punitive damages.
- Education Department and oversight: The Secretary would have up to 1 year to either build a system that issues week‑fast refunds for improper garnishments, allows suspension of garnishment for individuals or cohorts, and requires quarterly employer verification, or to certify that garnishment will not apply. If the system is implemented the Department must create a centralized database of borrowers subject to garnishment and submit annual reports to two Congressional committees.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Faster refunds and employer liability
If enacted, the bill would require quick and strong remedies when wages are wrongly garnished. If enacted, the Secretary must pay twice the actual amount taken not later than 10 days after receiving improperly garnished pay. If enacted, borrowers, the Secretary, or guaranty agencies could sue an employer that withholds pay after getting notice to stop. If enacted, courts could award the withheld money, actual damages, attorneys' fees, costs, and possibly punitive damages.
Pause and reform student wage garnishment
If enacted, the bill would pause the authority to garnish federal student loan borrowers' wages starting on enactment. If enacted, the pause would last until the Secretary files a required certification to two congressional committees, not earlier than one year after enactment. If enacted, that certification must show either a system that refunds improper garnishments within one calendar week, lets the Secretary stop or suspend garnishment any time, and requires quarterly employer verification with next-quarter estimates and contact details, or a decision that garnishment will not apply to individuals. If enacted and the system is certified, the Secretary would make a central database of garnished borrowers and report within 90 days and then yearly. If enacted, the bill would also bar garnishing wages for loans outstanding more than 10 years.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Cory Booker
NJ • D
Cosponsors
Elizabeth Warren
MA • D
Sponsored 5/14/2025
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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