(2017-1072-F) Student Loan Reform Act of 1993

12 folders, approximately 2,135 pages

This collection consists of material pertaining to indirect student loans, guaranteed student loans, and Stafford Loans. It contains correspondence, reports, newspaper articles, and emails.

The materials in 2017-1072-F are a selective body of documents responsive to the topic of the FOIA. Researchers should consult the archivist about related material. Under President Clinton the Student Loan Reform Act of 1993 was passed as part of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993; it contained one important provision that drew the attention of the 104th Congress the following year. That is, a phase-in of direct lending across the board that President Clinton wanted got reversed by legislation calling for considerably less than 100% of those type of loans. The White House Office of Records Management (WHORM)-Subject File-General contains a number of relevant documents. There is a short paper entitled “Student Loan Reform Act of 1993” that outlines the major precepts of the law and how it will be an improvement and “less costly and less complicated alternative” in comparison to the present system. The significant advances include more flexibility in repayment options and the reduction of interest rates. Another record is a memorandum from Leon Panetta, the Director of the OMB (Office of Management and Budget) to President Clinton. It will serve to transmit to Congress two important pieces of legislation—“National Service Trust Act of 1993” and “Student Loan Reform Act of 1993.” In the case of the latter bill, an initial step toward “comprehensive reform” of the current system is assured by saving money via more affordable loan repayments. Pertinent White House Staff and Office Files can be found in three separate locations—Counsel’s Office, Domestic Policy Council, and NEC (National Economic Council). The files of Cliff Sloan have several copies of a memorandum composed by the law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom addressing the constitutionality of the Student Loan Reform Act of 1993. It is their considered opinion that the legislation passed by Congress on June 24, 1993 would be unconstitutional because of the “offset fee” and “risk sharing” provisions. The files of Bill Galston contain a lengthy document entitled “The Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 – Student Loan Provisions – A Comparison of the House and Senate Provisions.” The NEC material (the files of David Tseng) consists of two books— Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993: Conference Report of the Committee on the Budget – House of Representatives and Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993: Report of the Committee on the Budget – House of Representatives. Entire sections of these books are devoted to the intricacies of student loans.

Textual

Records that were responsive to this FOIA request were found in these collection areas—Clinton Presidential Records: WHORM Subject Files and Clinton Presidential Records: White House Staff and Office Files. The White House Office of Records Management (WHORM) contains a variety of series created to organize and track documents and correspondence. The WHORM Subject file was compiled by the White House Office of Records Management and is a series of categories designated by a letter/number combination. Staff and Office files were maintained at the folder level by staff members within their individual offices and document all levels of administration activity. WHORM files are processed at the document level; whereas, Staff and Office files are processed at the folder level, that is, individual documents are not selected and removed from a folder for processing. While this method maintains folder integrity, it frequently results in the incidental processing of documents that are not wholly responsive to the subject area. FOIA 2017-1072-F includes WHORM records from these subject codes: FI004 Budget – Appropriations FI005-03 Schools – Student Teacher SO004 Receptions, White House SP293-15 National Service Trust Act & Student Loan Ref. Act of ‘93.

Collection is open to all researchers. Access to Clinton Presidential Records is governed by the Presidential Records Act (PRA) (44 U.S.C. Chapter 22, as amended) and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. 552, as amended) and therefore records may be restricted in whole or in part in accordance with legal exemptions.

Official records of William Jefferson Clinton’s presidency are housed at the Clinton Presidential Library and administered by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) under the provisions of the Presidential Records Act.

Staff Archivist, 2017. Previously restricted materials are added as they are released.

The following is a list of documents and folders processed in response to FOIA 2017-1072-F:
Box 1
Clinton Presidential Records: WHORM: Subject File
Category Case Number
FI004 021288
029807
FI005-03 140334
SO004 263216SS
SP293-15 030065SS
Clinton Presidential Records: White House Staff and Office Files
Counsel’s Office
Sloan, Cliff
Student Loan Reform Act of 1993 [1] [OA/ID 4577]
Student Loan Reform Act of 1993 [2] [OA/ID 4577]
Legislative Affairs
Kountoupes, Lisa
OBRA [Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act] 1993 Signing – Enrolled Memo
[OA/ID 19217]
Domestic Policy Council
Galston, Bill
[Miscellaneous Books, Publications, and Reports] [Folder 1]: [The Omnibus
Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 – Student Loan Provisions] [1] [OA/ID 5463]
[Miscellaneous Books, Publications, and Reports] [Folder 1]: [The Omnibus
Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 – Student Loan Provisions] [2] [OA/ID 5463]
National Economic Council
Tseng, David
Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 [book] [1] [OA/ID 15037]
Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 [book] [2] [OA/ID 15037]