1. (a) Program to cover student loan repayment, educational assistance, and professional development for House employees

   1. (1) Establishment The Chief Administrative Officer shall establish a program under which an employing office of the House of Representatives may agree—

      1. (A) to repay (by direct payment on behalf of the employee) any student loan previously taken out by an employee of the office;
      2. (B) to make direct payments on behalf of an employee of the office or to reimburse an employee of the office for expenses paid by the employee for the employee’s educational and professional development; and
      3. (C) to make direct payments on behalf of an employee of the office or to reimburse an employee of the office for credentialing, professional accreditation, professional licensure, and professional certification expenses paid by the employee.
   2. (2) Exclusion of members For purposes of this section, a Member of the House of Representatives (including a Delegate or Resident Commissioner to the Congress) shall not be considered to be an employee of the House of Representatives.
2. (b) Lifetime limit on aggregate payments made on behalf of any individual The aggregate amount of payments made on behalf of any individual under the program under this section by all employing offices of the House of Representatives may not exceed $80,000.
3. (c) Regulations The Committee on House Administration shall promulgate such regulations as may be necessary to carry out the program under this section.
4. (d) Authorization of appropriations There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out the program under this section during fiscal year 2003 and each succeeding fiscal year.

(Pub. L. 108–7, div. H, title I, § 105, Feb. 20, 2003, 117 Stat. 354; Pub. L. 116–260, div. I, title I, § 114(a), Dec. 27, 2020, 134 Stat. 1636; Pub. L. 117–328, div. I, title I, § 114(a), Dec. 29, 2022, 136 Stat. 4923.)

Editorial Notes

Codification

Section was formerly classified to section 60c–6 of this title prior to editorial reclassification and renumbering as this section.

Section is from the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2003, which is div. H of the Consolidated Appropriations Resolution, 2003.

Amendments

2022—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 117–328 amended subsec. (a) generally. Prior to amendment, text read as follows: “The Chief Administrative Officer shall establish a program under which an employing office of the House of Representatives may agree to repay (by direct payment on behalf of the employee) any student loan previously taken out by an employee of the office. For purposes of this section, a Member of the House of Representatives (including a Delegate or Resident Commissioner to the Congress) shall not be considered to be an employee of the House of Representatives.”

2020—Subsecs. (b) to (d). Pub. L. 116–260 added subsec. (b) and redesignated former subsecs. (b) and (c) as (c) and (d), respectively.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 2022 Amendment

Pub. L. 117–328, div. I, title I, § 114(b), Dec. 29, 2022, 136 Stat. 4923, provided that:

“The amendment made by subsection (a) [amending this section] shall apply with respect to payments made during fiscal year 2023 or any succeeding fiscal year.”

Effective Date of 2020 Amendment

Pub. L. 116–260, div. I, title I, § 114(b)(1), Dec. 27, 2020, 134 Stat. 1636, provided that:

“The amendment made by subsection (a) [amending this section] shall apply with respect to fiscal year 2021 and each succeeding fiscal year.”

Permitting Additional Payments on Behalf of Individuals Whose Payments Reached Prior Limit

Pub. L. 116–260, div. I, title I, § 114(b)(2), Dec. 27, 2020, 134 Stat. 1636, provided that:

“In promulgating regulations to carry out the amendment made by subsection (a) [amending this section], the Committee on House Administration of the House of Representatives shall include regulations to permit payments to be made under the program under section 105 of the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2003 (2 U.S.C. 4536) on behalf of an individual who—

1. “(A) is an employee of an employing office of the House during fiscal year 2021 or any succeeding fiscal year;
2. “(B) prior to fiscal year 2021, had payments made on the individual’s behalf under the program under such section; and
3. “(C) prior to fiscal year 2021, became ineligible to have payments made on the individual’s behalf under the program because the aggregate amount of the payments made on the individual’s behalf under the program reached the limit on such aggregate amount which (under regulations promulgated by the Committee) was in effect prior to fiscal year 2021.”