Act Now: Congress Could Ease Student Borrowers' Pain By Passing These Laws

Now that you've read our reporton the student debt crisis, here's a list of senators to contact in order to urge their support on a number of bills that, if passed, would bring student borrowers some much-needed relief.

Here are the bills to talk to your elected officials about:

1. The Know Before You Owe Act (S. 113) would help ensure that students understand all of their options before they borrow money.

2. Fairness for Struggling Students Act (S. 114) would amend the bankruptcy code to allow some college graduates to discharge private student debt in bankruptcy.

3. Federal Student Loan Refinancing Act (S. 1066) would allow student borrowers to refinance at a fixed rate of 4 percent—a majority of borrowers have a rate of more than six percent.

4. Earnings Contingent Education Loans Act (H.R. 1716) would automatically enroll graduates in an income-based repayment program that would collect dues directly from their paychecks. (This bill was introduced in the House of Representatives, so call your congressmen instead of your senator for this one. For a quick way to find out who should contact and how to reach them, click here.)

And a new bill, introduced after press time, the Bank On Students Emergency Loan Refinancing Act (S. 2292) that would give those with outstanding federal and private student loan debt the opportunity to refinance at the rate offered to first-time borrowers (currently 3.86%).

Who to call/tweet at:

Alabama

Sen. Jeff Sessions (R), @SenatorSessions
Sen. Richard C. Shelby (R), @SenShelby

Alaska

Sen. Mark Begich (D), @SenatorBegich
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R), @LisaMurkowski

Arizona

Sen. Jeff Flake (R), @JeffFlake
Sen. John McCain (R), @SenJohnMcCain

Arkansas

Sen. John Boozman (R), @JohnBoozman
Sen. Mark L. Pryor (D), @SenMarkPryor

California

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D), @SenatorBoxer
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D), @SenFeinstein

Colorado

Sen. Michael F. Bennet (D), @SenBennetCO
Sen. Mark Udall (D), @MarkUdall

Connecticut

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D), @SenBlumenthal
Sen. Chris Murphy (D), @ChrisMurphyCT

Delaware

Sen. Tom Carper (D), @SenatorCarper
Sen. Chris Coons (D), @ChrisCoons

Florida

Sen. Bill Nelson (D), @SenBillNelson
Sen. Marco Rubio (R), @MarcoRubio

Georgia

Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R), @SaxbyChambliss
Sen. Johnny Isakson (R), @SenatorIsakson

Hawaii

Sen. Mazie Hirono (D), @MazieHirono
Sen. Brian Schatz (D), @SenBrianSchatz

Idaho

Sen. Mike Crapo (R), @MikeCrapo
Sen. Jim Risch (R), @SenatorRisch

Illinois

Sen. Dick Durbin (D), @SenatorDurbin
Sen. Mark Kirk (R), @SenatorKirk

Indiana

Sen. Dan Coats (R), @SenDanCoats
Sen. Joe Donnelly (D), @SenDonnelly

Iowa

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R), @ChuckGrassley
Sen. Tom Harkin (D), @SenatorHarkin

Kansas

Sen. Jerry Moran (R), @JerryMoran
Sen. Pat Roberts (R), @SenPatRoberts

Kentucky

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R), @McConnellPress
Sen. Rand Paul (R), @SenRandPaul

Louisiana

Sen. Mary Landrieu (D), @MaryLandrieu
Sen. David Vitter (R), @DavidVitter

Maine

Sen. Susan Collins (R), @SenatorCollins
Sen. Angus King Jr. (I), @SenAngusKing

Maryland

Sen. Ben Cardin (D), @SenatorCardin
Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski (D), @SenatorBarb

Massachusetts

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D), @SenWarren

Sen. Edward J. Markey (D), @MarkeyMemo

Michigan

Sen. Carl Levin (D), @SenCarlLevin

Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D), @Stabenow

Minnesota

Sen. Al Franken (D), @AlFranken
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D), @AmyKlobuchar

Mississippi

Sen. Thad Cochran (R), @SenThadCochran
Sen. Roger F. Wicker (R), @SenatorWicker

Missouri

Sen. Roy Blunt (R), @RoyBlunt
Sen. Claire McCaskill (D), @Clairecmc

Montana

Sen. John E. Walsh (D), @SenWalshOffice

Sen. Jon Tester(D), @JonTester

Nebraska

Sen. Deb Fischer (R), @SenatorFischer
Sen. Mike Johanns (R), @Mike_Johanns

Nevada

Sen. Dean Heller (R), @SenDeanHeller
Sen. Harry Reid (D), @SenatorReid

New Hampshire

Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R), @KellyAyote
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D), @SenatorShaheen

New Jersey

Sen. Cory A. Booker (D), @CoryBooker

Sen. Robert Menendez (D), @SenatorMenendez

New Mexico

Sen. Martin Heinrich (D), @MartinHeinrich
Sen. Tom Udall (D), @SenatorTomUdall

New York

Sen. Kirsten E. Gillibrand (D), @SenGillibrand
Sen. Chuck Schumer (D), @ChuckSchumer

North Carolina

Sen. Richard Burr (R), @SenatorBurr
Sen. Kay R. Hagan (D), @SenatorHagan

North Dakota

Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D), @SenatorHeitkamp
Sen. John Hoeven (R), @SenJohnHoeven

Ohio

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D), @SenSherrodBrown
Sen. Rob Portman (R), @RobPortman

Oklahoma

Sen. Tom Coburn (R), @TomCoburn
Sen. Jim Inhofe (R), @JimInhofe

Oregon

Sen. Jeff Merkley (D), @SenJeffMerkley
Sen. Ron Wyden (D), @RonWyden

Pennsylvania

Sen. Bob Casey (D), @SenBobCasey
Sen. Pat Toomey (R), @SenToomey

Rhode Island

Sen. Jack Reed (D), @SenJackReed
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D), @SenWhitehouse

South Carolina

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R), @GrahamBlog
Sen. Tim Scott (R), @SenatorTimScott

South Dakota

Sen. Tim Johnson (D), @SenJohnsonSD
Sen. John Thune (R), @SenJohnThune

Tennessee

Sen. Lamar Alexander (R), @SenAlexander
Sen. Bob Corker (R), @SenBobCorker

Texas

Sen. John Cornyn (R), @JohnCornyn
Sen. Ted Cruz (R), @SenTedCruz

Utah

Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R), @OrrinHatch
Sen. Mike Lee (R), @SenMikeLee

Vermont

Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D), @SenatorLeahy
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I), @SenSanders

Virginia

Sen. Tim Kaine (D), @TimKaine
Sen. Mark R. Warner (D), @MarkWarner

Washington

Sen. Maria Cantwell (D), @MariaCantwell
Sen. Patty Murray (D), @PattyMurray

West Virginia

Sen. Joe Manchin III (D), @Sen_JoeManchin
Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D), @SenRockefeller

Wisconsin

Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D), @SenatorBaldwin
Sen. Ron Johnson (R), @SenRonJohnson

Wyoming

Sen. John Barrasso (R), @SenJohnBarrasso
Sen. Mike Enzi (R), @SenatorEnzi

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