Most Texas workers will no longer lose their occupational license if they default on student loans

[TexasTowelie]

by Shannon Najmabadi, Texas Tribune


Nurses, teachers and other Texas workers will no longer risk losing their occupational license if they default on their student loans, thanks to legislation signed by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott Friday.

While there is no comprehensive data on how frequently this occurs, a report from The Texas Tribune found more than 4,200 people in the state — including security guards, cosmetologists and pharmacists – were likely at risk of losing their license because of student loan default in 2017. Nearly 250 teachers had an application to renew their educator’s license denied over a five year period, according to the Tribune’s reporting.

Changing the practice was at the heart of a half-dozen pieces of legislation filed during this year's legislative session. The measure signed by the governor Friday was authored by state Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, and sponsored by Rep. Matt Krause, R-Fort Worth. It amassed broad support from lawmakers spanning the ideological spectrum, from liberal Democrats to the most conservative faction of the Texas House, of which Krause is a member. More than 30 legislators signed on to back it.

The new law, which took effect Friday, strikes previous provisions that made defaults grounds to deny, suspend or not renew a professional license. There is now an explicit prohibition on those actions.

Read more: https://www.texastribune.org/2019/06/07/texas-student-loan-default-wont-cost-workers-their-occupational-licens/