Senator Murray’s Statement on Education Secretary DeVos’ Attempts to Invalidate State Laws Protecting Students from Predatory Student Debt Corporations

By trying to invalidate state laws that provide critical protections for students, Secretary DeVos is making it easier for predatory corporations to take advantage of students already drowning in debt 

Secretary DeVos’ move attempts to invalidate a recently passed Washington state bill aimed at protecting students and helping them pay back student loans 

Senator Murray: “Secretary DeVos’ latest move to invalidate students’ protections at the state level is concerning and telling”

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), top Democrat on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement on the Department of Education’s announcement asserting that state laws protecting students do not apply to student loan companies. Last week, the Washington state legislature passed a ‘student bill of rights’ to address the growing amount of student debt by providing students with support to pay back their loans and protecting them from predatory corporations, including debt collectors.

“While Secretary DeVos has spent the last year putting student loan companies ahead of students, I’m proud my home state of Washington has passed legislation to make it easier for students to pay back their loans and protect them from predatory corporations. Secretary DeVos’ latest move to invalidate students’ protections at the state level is concerning and telling, and I hope the Republicans who claim to care so deeply about states’ rights will join me in fighting back against this overreaching and harmful decision.”