ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Emily M. Dickens, corporate secretary and chief of staff for the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), issued this statement as Congress considers year-end legislation.
“SHRM, which believes HR is a force for positive social change, is using the last weeks of 2018 to bring public attention to two policy issues with significance to workers.
“SHRM strongly encourages Congress to pass measures that would allow employers to provide tax-free student loan repayment benefits to the many workers burdened with student debt and to improve the financial well-being of all Americans, including people with disabilities.”
The average college graduate leaves school with more than $37,000 in student debt. Giving an employer the option of providing a student loan repayment benefit is a win-win for the employer and its employees.
“The right employee benefits help create workplaces that work for all,” Dickens said.
To that end, SHRM also supports another tool that provides financial stability, the 529A “ABLE” Account, which allows people with disabilities to save for college, job training and other expenses.
SHRM strongly encourages Congress to support
H.R. 795, the Employer Participation in Student Loan Assistance Act, and
S. 796, the Employer Participation in Repayment Act. Additionally, SHRM is advocating for a provision that would allow employees with disabilities to give employers the option to deposit matching contributions directly to a
529A “ABLE” Account.
Society for Human Resource Management
The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) is the world’s largest HR professional society, representing 300,000 members in more than 165 countries. For nearly seven decades, the Society has been the leading provider of resources serving the needs of HR professionals and advancing the practice of human resource management. SHRM has more than 575 affiliated chapters within the United States and subsidiary offices in China, India and United Arab Emirates. Visit us at
shrm.org and follow us on Twitter and Instagram @SHRMPress.