This morning, the Senate took up both S 953, the Reed-Harkin-Reid-Murray two year extension of 3.4% interest rate on student loans and the Senate Republican alternative, S 1003, sponsored by Senators Tom Colburn and Lamar Alexander. The Senate Republican bill would have tied student loan interest rates to the 10-year Treasury note rate plus 3 percentage-points.
The Chamber was technically voting to invoke cloture on motions to proceed to consideration on the measure. Both bills needed 60 votes in order to proceed to debate. As expected, both bills of the competing measures failed to reach the 60-vote mark.
S 953 (Reed-Harkin-Reid) received a vote of 51-46.
S 1003 (Coburn-Alexander) received a vote of 40-57.