{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=867cfed9-d868-4241-bf63-af62fdf05531", "Heitkamp Warns of Student Loan Debt-Relief Companies", "2013-07-15", "2013", "2013-07", "Democrat", "House", "ND", "Heidi Heitkamp", "H001069", "www.heitkamp.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Contact: Todd Deutsch 202-224-9921 \n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tWASHINGTON, DC \u2013 U.S. Senator Heitkamp, a member of the Senate Banking Committee, today urged students to be aware of companies that mischaracterize government loan programs as their own, and charge students fees to use government services that are actually free. After a recent report was released on the activity, Heitkamp called on the Obama Administration to investigate the practice, fully enforce relevant laws and consider new rules.\u00a0\u00a0\r\n\u201cAmericans with student loan debt should be protected from companies charging exorbitant fees to reconsolidate loans while using government programs,\u201d Heitkamp said. \u201cStudent loan repayment should be a clear and manageable process\u2014we owe that to our students.\u201d\r\nFollowing a report from the National Consumer Law Center entitled \u201cDesperate Borrowers and the Growing Student Loan Debt Relief Industry,\u201d Heitkamp sent a letter urging the Department of Education, the Federal Trade Commission, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to look closely at student loan debt relief companies. The letter urges the federal government to enforce existing laws and consider new rules to protect American students.\r\nAt a recent Banking hearing on private student loans, Heitkamp questioned a CFPB official about predatory lending in the private student loan market. \u201cThey sound a lot like the predatory lending that we\u2019ve experienced with home mortgages and consumer debt,\u201d Heitkamp said at the hearing, asking what the Federal Government is doing to educate consumers and to warn students about predatory lending practices.\r\nClick here to read the letter Senator Heitkamp sent to the Administration.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=867cfed9-d868-4241-bf63-af62fdf05531"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.0133301839232445, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}