1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Stop Student Debt Relief Scams Act of 2019 . 2. Criminal penalties (a) In General Section 490 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 1097 ) is amended by adding at the end the following: (e) Access to Department of Education Information Technology Systems for fraud, commercial advantage, or private financial gain Any person who knowingly uses an access device, as defined in section 1029(e)(1) of title 18, United States Code, issued to another person or obtained by fraud or false statement to access Department information technology systems for purposes of obtaining commercial advantage or private financial gain, or in furtherance of any criminal or tortious act in violation of the Constitution or laws of the United States or of any State, shall be fined not more than $20,000, imprisoned for not more than 5 years, or both. . (b) Guidance The Secretary shall issue guidance regarding the use of access devices in a manner that complies with this Act, and the amendments made by this Act. (c) Effective date of penalties Notwithstanding section 6, the penalties described in section 490(e) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 1097 ), as added by subsection (a), shall take effect the day after the date on which the Secretary issues guidance regarding the use of access devices, as described in subsection (b). 3. Loan counseling Section 485(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 1092(b) ) is amended— (1) in clause (viii), by striking and after the semicolon; and (2) by adding at the end the following: (x) an explanation that— (I) the borrower may be contacted during the repayment period by third-party student debt relief companies; (II) the borrower should use caution when dealing with those companies; and (III) the services that those companies typically provide are already offered to borrowers free of charge through the Department or the borrower's servicer