House Passes H.R. 1911, “The Smarter Solutions for Students Act”

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May 24, 2013 · by mlivolsi · Spark Notes

Prepared by: Wes Huffman (whuffman@wpllc.net)

Today, the House of Representatives took up H.R. 1911, the “Smarter Solutions for Students Act,” which would convert Stafford (both Subsidized and Unsubsidized) and PLUS loans to a variable rate with a cap tied to the 10-Year Treasury rate.

The bill passed by a margin of 221-198, largely on party lines.  Eight Republicans voted against H.R. 1911 and four Democrats voted for it.   A listing of those crossing the “party line” is included below:

Democratic “Ayes”
Rep. Jared Polis (CO)
Rep. Joe Garcia (FL)
Rep. Scott Peters (CA)
Rep. Dan Maffei (NY)
 
Republican “Noes”
Rep. Mo Brooks (AL)
Rep. Vern Buchanan (FL)
Rep. Tom Cotton (AR)
Rep. Louie Gohmert (TX)
Rep. Tom Graves (GA)
Rep. Michael Grimm (NY)
Rep. Walter Jones (NC)
Rep. Marlin Stutzman (IN)
 
Notably, Rep. John Yarmuth (D-KY), who voted to report the bill out the House Education and the Workforce Committee, voted against H.R. 1911 on the Floor.  We will provide additional details on this vote as well as developments in the Senate in tomorrow’s edition of The Torch.