Higher Education Relief Opportunities For Students Act

Higher Education Relief Opportunities For Students Act of 2001
Long title	An act to provide the Secretary of Education with specific waiver authority to respond to a war or other military operation or national emergency.
Enacted by	the 107th United States Congress
Citations
Public law	107-122
Codification
Acts amended	Higher Education Act of 1965
Legislative history
	Introduced in the Senate as S. 1793 by Susan Collins (R–ME) on December 10, 2001; Committee consideration by Health, Education, Labor and Pensions; Passed the United States Senate on December 4, 2001 (by unanimous consent); Passed the United States House of Representatives on December 20, 2001 (by unanimous consent); Signed into law by President George W. Bush on January 16, 2002;
United States Supreme Court cases
	Biden v. Nebraska, No. 22-506, 600 U.S. ___ (2023); Department of Education v. Brown, No. 22-535, 600 U.S. ___ (2023);

The Higher Education Relief Opportunities For Students (HEROES) Act (Pub. L. 108–76 (text) (PDF)) was legislation passed unanimously by the United States Congress and signed into law by President George W. Bush on January 16, 2002. It was extended and amended in 2003, extended in 2005, and made permanent in 2007.

The Act allows the U.S. Secretary of Education to grant waivers or relief to recipients of student financial aid programs under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, in connection with a war or other military operation or national emergency.^[1] It allows waiving of statutory or regulatory requirements related to federal student loans for three categories of individuals: active-duty military or National Guard officials, those who reside or are employed in a declared disaster area, or those who have suffered direct economic hardship as a result of wars, military operations, or national emergencies.^[2]^[3]

^ "H.R.1412—108th Congress (2003-2004): Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Students Act of 2003". Congress.gov. 2003-08-18. Retrieved 2022-08-26.
^ Congressional Research Service (July 31, 2019). "Education-Related Regulatory Flexibilities, Waivers, and Federal Assistance in Response to Disasters and National Emergencies". CRS Report R42881. Retrieved 2022-09-07.
^ Congressional Research Service (April 16, 2020). "Federal Student Loan Debt Relief in the Context of COVID-19" (PDF). CRS Report R46314. Retrieved August 26, 2022.

[1] "H.R.1412—108th Congress (2003-2004): Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Students Act of 2003". Congress.gov. 2003-08-18. Retrieved 2022-08-26.

[2] Congressional Research Service (July 31, 2019). "Education-Related Regulatory Flexibilities, Waivers, and Federal Assistance in Response to Disasters and National Emergencies". CRS Report R42881. Retrieved 2022-09-07.

[3] Congressional Research Service (April 16, 2020). "Federal Student Loan Debt Relief in the Context of COVID-19" (PDF). CRS Report R46314. Retrieved August 26, 2022.

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