I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1229 

To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide that an individual 

may remain eligible to participate in the teacher loan forgiveness program 

under title IV of such Act if the individual’s period of consecutive 

years of employment as a full-time teacher is interrupted because the 

individual is the spouse of a member of the Armed Forces who is 

relocated during the school year pursuant to military orders for a permanent change of duty station, or the individual works in a school of 

the defense dependents’ education system under the Defense Dependents’ 

Education Act of 1978 due to such a relocation, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 14, 2019 

Mr. CHABOT (for himself, Ms. STEFANIK, Mr. KELLY of Mississippi, Mr. KILMER, Ms. SEWELL of Alabama, Mr. PERLMUTTER, Mr. SWALWELL of 

California, and Mrs. LURIA) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor 

A BILL 

To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide 

that an individual may remain eligible to participate in 

the teacher loan forgiveness program under title IV of 

such Act if the individual’s period of consecutive years 

of employment as a full-time teacher is interrupted because the individual is the spouse of a member of the 

Armed Forces who is relocated during the school year 

pursuant to military orders for a permanent change of 

duty station, or the individual works in a school of the 

defense dependents’ education system under the Defense 


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Dependents’ Education Act of 1978 due to such a relocation, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Preserving Teacher 

5 Loan Forgiveness for Military Spouses Act of 2019’’. 

6 SEC. 2. CONTINUING ELIGIBILITY TO PARTICIPATE IN STU7 DENT LOAN FORGIVENESS OR LOAN CAN8 CELLATION PROGRAM FOR TEACHERS 

9 WHOSE PERIOD OF CONSECUTIVE EMPLOY10 MENT IS INTERRUPTED BECAUSE OF MILI11 TARY ORDERS REQUIRING SPOUSE TO RELO12 CATE TO NEW RESIDENCE, OR WHO WORK IN 

13 A SCHOOL OF THE DEFENSE DEPENDENTS’ 

14 EDUCATION SYSTEM DUE TO SUCH A RELO15 CATION. 

16 (a) CONTINUING ELIGIBILITY.— 

17 (1) PART B LOANS.—Section 428J(g) of the 

18 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1078– 

19 10(g)) is amended by adding at the end the fol20 lowing: 

21 ‘‘(4) CONTINUING ELIGIBILITY FOR CERTAIN

22 MILITARY SPOUSES.— 

23 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.— 


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1 ‘‘(i) COMPLETE BUT NONCONSECU2 TIVE YEARS.—Notwithstanding paragraph 

3 (1) of subsection (b), an individual who is 

4 employed in a full-time teaching position 

5 that meets the requirements of this section 

6 for a period that includes 5 complete but 

7 nonconsecutive years may be eligible for 

8 loan forgiveness pursuant to such sub9 section, if the individual was a qualified 

10 military spouse, as defined in subpara11 graph (B)(i), with respect to any year dur12 ing such period for which the individual 

13 was not employed as a full-time teacher in 

14 a school or location meeting the require15 ments of this section. 

16 ‘‘(ii) EMPLOYMENT IN DEFENSE DE17 PARTMENT SCHOOLS.—Notwithstanding 

18 paragraph (1) of subsection (b), an indi19 vidual may be eligible for loan forgiveness 

20 pursuant to such subsection, if the indi21 vidual is a qualified military spouse, as de22 fined in subparagraph (B)(ii), and the in23 dividual has been employed as a full-time 

24 teacher for 5 complete school years in a 

25 school described in subparagraph (A) of 


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1 subsection (b)(1) or in a school of the de2 fense dependents’ education system under 

3 the Defense Dependents’ Education Act of 

4 1978 (20 U.S.C. 921 et seq.) that is lo5 cated outside of the United States, and 

6 met the requirements of subparagraph (B) 

7 of subsection (b)(1). 

8 ‘‘(B) QUALIFIED MILITARY SPOUSE DE9 FINED.—In this paragraph, the term ‘qualified 

10 military spouse’ means— 

11 ‘‘(i) with respect to a year, an indi12 vidual who— 

13 ‘‘(I) during the previous year, 

14 served as a teacher in a school or lo15 cation meeting the requirements of 

16 subparagraph (A) of subsection (b)(1) 

17 and met the requirements of subpara18 graph (B) of subsection (b)(1); 

19 ‘‘(II) is the spouse of a member 

20 of the Armed Forces who is relocated 

21 during the year pursuant to military 

22 orders for a permanent change of 

23 duty station; 

24 ‘‘(III) did not serve as a teacher 

25 in a school or location meeting the reVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:56 Feb 27, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1229.IH H1229

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1 quirements of subparagraph (A) of 

2 subsection (b)(1) during the year or 

3 any portion of the year because the 

4 individual accompanied the spouse to 

5 a new residence as a result of such 

6 military orders; and 

7 ‘‘(IV) during the following year, 

8 resumed service as a teacher in a 

9 school or location meeting the require10 ments of subparagraph (A) of sub11 section (b)(1) and met the require12 ments of subparagraph (B) of sub13 section (b)(1); or 

14 ‘‘(ii) an individual who is the spouse 

15 of a member of the Armed Forces who is 

16 relocated overseas during a year of employ17 ment as a teacher for which the individual 

18 seeks loan forgiveness under this section 

19 pursuant to military orders for a change of 

20 duty station and the individual accom21 panied the spouse to a new residence over22 seas as a result of such military orders. 

23 ‘‘(C) REPORTS TO CONGRESS.—Not later 

24 than 90 days after the end of the second aca25 demic year during which this paragraph is in 


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1 effect, and every 2 years thereafter, the Sec2 retary shall submit to Congress a report de3 scribing the number of individuals who, as a re4 sult of this paragraph, remained eligible for 

5 loan forgiveness pursuant to subsection (b) dur6 ing the 2 most recent academic years.’’. 

7 (2) PART D LOANS.—Section 460(g) of the 

8 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087j(g)) 

9 is amended by adding at the end the following: 

10 ‘‘(4) CONTINUING ELIGIBILITY FOR CERTAIN

11 MILITARY SPOUSES.— 

12 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.— 

13 ‘‘(i) COMPLETE BUT NONCONSECU14 TIVE YEARS.—Notwithstanding paragraph 

15 (1) of subsection (b), an individual who is 

16 employed in a full-time teaching position 

17 that meets the requirements of this section 

18 for a period that includes 5 complete but 

19 nonconsecutive years may be eligible for 

20 loan cancellation pursuant to such sub21 section, if the individual was a qualified 

22 military spouse, as defined in subpara23 graph (B)(i), with respect to any year dur24 ing such period for which the individual 

25 was not employed as a full-time teacher in 


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1 a school or location meeting the require2 ments of this section. 

3 ‘‘(ii) EMPLOYMENT IN DEFENSE DE4 PARTMENT SCHOOLS.—Notwithstanding 

5 paragraph (1) of subsection (b), an indi6 vidual may be eligible for loan cancellation 

7 pursuant to such subsection, if the indi8 vidual is a qualified military spouse, as de9 fined in subparagraph (B)(ii), and the in10 dividual has been employed as a full-time 

11 teacher for 5 complete school years in a 

12 school described in subparagraph (A) of 

13 subsection (b)(1) or in a school of the de14 fense dependents’ education system under 

15 the Defense Dependents’ Education Act of 

16 1978 (20 U.S.C. 921 et seq.) that is lo17 cated outside of the United States, and 

18 met the requirements of subparagraph (B) 

19 of subsection (b)(1). 

20 ‘‘(B) QUALIFIED MILITARY SPOUSE DE21 FINED.—In this paragraph, the term ‘qualified 

22 military spouse’ means— 

23 ‘‘(i) with respect to a year, an indi24 vidual who— 


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1 ‘‘(I) during the previous year, 

2 served as a teacher in a school or lo3 cation meeting the requirements of 

4 subparagraph (A) of subsection (b)(1) 

5 and met the requirements of subpara6 graph (B) of subsection (b)(1); 

7 ‘‘(II) is the spouse of a member 

8 of the Armed Forces who is relocated 

9 during the year pursuant to military 

10 orders for a permanent change of 

11 duty station; 

12 ‘‘(III) did not serve as a teacher 

13 in a school or location meeting the re14 quirements of subparagraph (A) of 

15 subsection (b)(1) during the year or 

16 any portion of the year because the 

17 individual accompanied the spouse to 

18 a new residence as a result of such 

19 military orders; and 

20 ‘‘(IV) during the following year, 

21 resumed service as a teacher in a 

22 school or location meeting the require23 ments of subparagraph (A) of sub24 section (b)(1) and met the requireVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:56 Feb 27, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1229.IH H1229

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1 ments of subparagraph (B) of sub2 section (b)(1); or 

3 ‘‘(ii) an individual who is the spouse 

4 of a member of the Armed Forces who is 

5 relocated overseas during a year of employ6 ment as a teacher for which the individual 

7 seeks loan forgiveness under this section 

8 pursuant to military orders for a change of 

9 duty station and the individual accom10 panied the spouse to a new residence over11 seas as a result of such military orders. 

12 ‘‘(C) REPORTS TO CONGRESS.—Not later 

13 than 90 days after the end of the second aca14 demic year during which this paragraph is in 

15 effect, and every 2 years thereafter, the Sec16 retary shall submit to Congress a report de17 scribing the number of individuals who, as a re18 sult of this paragraph, remained eligible for 

19 loan cancellation pursuant to subsection (b) 

20 during the 2 most recent academic years.’’. 

21 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

22 subsection (a) shall apply with respect to individuals who 

23 first become employed as full-time teachers on or after the 

24 date of the enactment of this Act. 

Æ 


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