Congress Clears Student Loan Bill

Congress put its final seal late Thursday on ending bank subsidies for student loans.

After Senate passage earlier in the day, the House revoted to approve the budget reconciliation bill by a vote of 220-207.

The legislation, in addition to finalizing Congress' overhaul of the health-care system, removes private lenders from the business of making federal student loans. The bill increases resources for federal grants and establishes the government as a direct provider of student loans.

The House had already approved the measures March 21, but needed to pass the bill again to correct parliamentary issues that had arisen from the Senate vote.

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