Our Issues
The CBF, in partnership with the CBA, centers its current legislative and policy advocacy efforts on the following key issues:
Our broken immigration system creates a number of unique access to justice issues. The CBF advocates for legislation that takes a comprehensive approach to fixing our nation’s broken immigration system and restoring the rule of law, including through passage of a clean DREAM Act.
Read the fact sheet on this important issue and a CBA Record article laying out the case for comprehensive reform.
The Public Service Loan Forgiveness program (PSLF), created by Congress in 2007, provides critical support for our nation’s public sector by offering partial relief from often crushing educational debt for public service employees who make long-term commitments to working in the sector. Under PSLF, those who make ten years of payments on their student loans while employed full-time in public service jobs are eligible to have their remaining balance forgiven.
There are active proposals to either eliminate or limit PSLF going forward. This important program should be preserved for the longer-term, and should only be limited if other educational debt reforms are put in place.
In 2020, the CBF worked with a team of pro bono attorneys to propose the Equality in Higher Education Financing and Repayment Act (EHEFRA). The EHEFRA is a comprehensive effort to fairly and equitably tackle the unsustainable levels of student loan debt that are exacerbating existing inequalities in education access and opportunity as well as inhibiting entrepreneurship. The proposed new Act would create a more rational, fair, and accountable system for financing higher education, freeing many Americans from the weight of debt-based decision-making and simultaneously giving the economy a much-needed stimulus during the current financial crisis.
A one-pager that outlines the goals can be found here and the full legislative proposal package can be found here.