A2097 • 2026

Directs Higher Education Student Assistance Authority to grant deferment of New Jersey College Loans to Assist State Students (NJCLASS) student loan payments to new parent.

Education

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor: Carter, Linda S.
Last action: 2026-01-13
Official status: Introduced, Referred to Assembly Higher Education Committee
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

Directs Higher Education Student Assistance Authority to grant deferment of New Jersey College Loans to Assist State Students (NJCLASS) student loan payments to new parent.

What This Bill Does

Directs Higher Education Student Assistance Authority to grant deferment of New Jersey College Loans to Assist State Students (NJCLASS) student loan payments to new parent.
Topic: Higher Education Fiscal note: This bill has been certified by OLS for a fiscal note.

Limits and Unknowns

This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

2026-01-13 New Jersey Legislature
Introduced, Referred to Assembly Higher Education Committee

Official Summary Text

Directs Higher Education Student Assistance Authority to grant deferment of New Jersey College Loans to Assist State Students (NJCLASS) student loan payments to new parent.
Topic:
Higher Education
Fiscal note:
This bill has been certified by OLS for a fiscal note.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

A2097

ASSEMBLY, No. 2097

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman LINDA S. CARTER

District 22 (Somerset and Union)

Co-Sponsored by:

Assemblywomen Speight, McCoy, Quijano, Reynolds-Jackson and
Assemblyman Kearney

SYNOPSIS

���� Directs Higher Education Student Assistance Authority
to grant deferment of New Jersey College Loans to Assist State Students
(NJCLASS) student loan payments to new parent.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative
Counsel.

��

An Act
concerning the New Jersey College Loans to Assist State
Students (NJCLASS) Loan Program and supplementing chapter 71C of Title 18A of
the New Jersey Statutes.�

����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.��� In the event that an
eligible student borrower under the NJCLASS Loan Program becomes a parent, the
authority shall grant a deferment of payment of loan principal and interest for
a period of 12 weeks.� To qualify for the loan deferment, the student borrower
shall provide the authority with proof of the child�s birth or adoption within
120 days of the birth or adoption.� The deferment shall begin on the date that
the student borrower's proof of the child�s birth or adoption is received by
the authority and shall end 12 weeks after that date.� Interest on the loan
shall not accrue during the period of deferment.

���� 2.��� This act shall take
effect immediately.�

STATEMENT

���� This bill provides that in the
event that an eligible student borrower under the NJCLASS Loan Program becomes
a parent, the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority will be required to
grant a deferment of payment of loan principal and interest for a period of 12
weeks.� To qualify for the loan deferment, the student borrower must provide
the authority with proof of the child�s birth or adoption within 120 days of
the birth or adoption.� The bill provides that the deferment will begin on the
date that the student borrower's proof of the child�s birth or adoption is
received by the authority and will end 12 weeks after that date.� Interest on
the loan will not accrue during the period of deferment.