Groups ask AG Dave Yost to halt student-debt collection until coronavirus crisis ends

COLUMBUS — Several Ohio advocacy groups are asking Attorney General Dave Yost to stop the collection of any student debt from public colleges and universities in the state during and after the coronavirus pandemic. In a letter to Yost's office sent Wednesday, the groups cited a recent study by left-leaning Policy Matters Ohio showing that collecting such debt disproportionately affects Ohioans who are least able to afford it, including lower-income, minorities, first-generation, part-time, and older students. The groups, which include Policy Matters Ohio, Innovation Ohio, the Ohio Student Association, and College Now Greater Cleveland, praised Yost for negotiating with state colleges and universities to stop creating new student debt through at least April 27 and for agreeing to review requests for relief on existing debt on a case-by-case basis. But they urged Yost to go further and impose a blanket freeze, noting that the massive federal stimulus package signed by President Donald Trump late last month suspends collection of federal student-loan debt through Sept. 30. The letter also points to New York State's agreement with private student-loan lenders to stop collecting debt. In addition, the letter asks Yost to forgive 30 percent of student debt in Ohio owed by people who are out of work because of the coronavirus crisis, citing the leeway the Ohio Revised Code gives the attorney general in collecting state debts. That amount is based on the assumption that those who have been laid off since March and can't find new work could lose up to half of their annual income, according to the letter. "Collecting on debt already with the AG's office runs counter to other steps other government entities are taking, at all levels, to provide relief during the pandemic," the letter stated. Asked to comment on the proposals laid out in the letter, AG spokesman Dave O'Neil didn't say what Yost, a Columbus Republican, thinks about the ideas. "As Policy Matters Ohio has acknowledged, the Ohio Attorney General's Office has agreed to review requests for relief from ongoing collection of previously certified debt on a case-by-case basis with the full cooperation of and direction from individual institutions," O'Neil stated in an email. "Existing debt collection efforts are at various stages depending upon the situation, previously entered agreements, and pending litigation." ——— ©2020 Advance Ohio Media, Cleveland Visit Advance Ohio Media, Cleveland at www.cleveland.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.