Student Loan | Bill Clarifying Student Loan Obligations Reintroduced In Congress
December 7, 2011 – 5:28 am
It was a setback for the Bryskis, who have diligently made payments on their son’s $50,000 in loans – a debt assigned to them when he suffered a traumatic brain injury in 2004 and died two years later.
But last month, Adler’s onetime political foe and successor, U.S. Rep. Jon Runyan (R., N.J.), joined two Democrats to reintroduce the bill.
“It deals with consumer protection, at the root of it, and [Christopher] being a constituent, it’s something that’s very close to home,” Runyan said Tuesday. “It’s made a very grievous situation worse.”
Along with Runyan, Democratic Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. brought the bill back in the House on Oct. 24. In the Senate, U.S. Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg (D., N.J.) put it forward.
“While the Bryski family struggled to deal with the loss of their son, they were burdened by additional hardships brought on by creditors and lenders,” Lautenberg said in a statement. “They have shared their story so that other families have the guidance they need to make legal and financial decisions when tragedy strikes.”
Christopher Bryski’s father, Joseph Jr., never imagined harm coming to his son when he cosigned private education loans to help pay for college. A majority of private student loans involve a cosigner – more than 80 percent, according to the student loan company Sallie Mae.
Christopher Bryski, 23, was a varsity wrestler and a junior studying sports physiology at Rutgers University in New Brunswick. In June 2004, he climbed a tree in a friend’s yard. During his descent, a branch snapped. He fell about 45 feet to the ground.
For three days, he could respond to his family by squeezing their hands, said his brother Ryan Bryski. Then he had a stroke.
“He never recovered after that,” said Ryan Bryski, 33, who works in crisis management.
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Tags: Student loan
