![]() ![]() ![]() The bill's sponsor called it "unnecessarily punitive." This year, Montana legislators repealed a bill that allowed revocation of professional and driver's licenses. Such questioning has driven lawmakers in some other states to revisit such laws. Behind cosmetologists, RNs and nurse aides had the highest rates of suspensions. "If you can't pay your student loans and all of the sudden you can't work, you're in a Catch-22," said Sharon Adkins, executive director of the Tennessee Nurses Association. Still, others question whether the policy is counterproductive, especially in a time when student loan default rates are at historic highs. Of the 4,200 who have lost their licenses, 3,185 have been reinstated after getting on a payment plan. This, it has been a helpful thing to help get them back into compliance and good standing with their credit." "Many have gone years without making a payment. "It's a last-ditch effort on our part to catch their attention," said Peter Abernathy, TSAC staff attorney. say the policy is a last resort after months of attempts to notify the borrowers. Officials with the Tennessee Student Assistance Corp. Still, many professionals are unaware of such laws until they're behind on their payments. Tennessee and Georgia are among an estimated 20 states whose laws allow suspension or revocation of professional licenses for people who don't pay their loans. They are among more than 4,200 Tennessee professionals, everyone from attorneys to cosmetologists, who since 2009 have had their licenses suspended for defaulting on their student loans, according to the state's student loan guaranty agency, the Tennessee Student Assistance Corp. Nurse Aid - 509Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation Numbers show unique borrower suspensions, not total suspensions.1. ![]() If the law is passed, states would have two years to comply.Here are the three types of licensees who have most commonly defaulted on the student loans and had their licenses suspended. Senator Rubio says the new law would prevent states from threatening worker's livelihoods by trapping them in what he calls a "modern-day debtors prison."Ĭurrently, 13 states have the power to take away health care licenses for unpaid student loans, but the I-Team found Florida is only state currently actively suspending licenses - 97 at last count. They have now introduced a bill that would prevent states from suspending, revoking or denying professional licenses as punishment for falling behind on student loan payments. Senators Marco Rubio and Elizabeth Warren don't think it's fair at all. “Your license is gone, your livelihood's gone, the care of your patients is gone. Department of Education, which is trying to reduce the number of defaults on student loans.Īt the time, we spoke to former certified nursing assistant Denise Thorman, who said she was heart-broken when she had to surrender her license last year - all because she couldn't pay her student loans. RELATED: Florida Board of Health suspends health care licenses over student loan defaults We reported last month how the Florida Board of Health sent notices to more than 900 healthcare workers telling them to repay their student loans or have their licenses suspended. There’s a new federal plan to keep states from taking away people's professional licenses just because they fall behind on student loans. ![]()
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