II 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 2351 

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, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JANUARY 29, 2018 

Mr. CARDIN (for himself and Mr. CORNYN) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

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, 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, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

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

3 Loan Forgiveness for Military Spouses Act of 2018’’. 

4 SEC. 2. CONTINUING ELIGIBILITY TO PARTICIPATE IN STU5 DENT LOAN FORGIVENESS OR LOAN CAN6 CELLATION PROGRAM FOR TEACHERS 

7 WHOSE PERIOD OF CONSECUTIVE EMPLOY8 MENT IS INTERRUPTED BECAUSE OF MILI9 TARY ORDERS REQUIRING SPOUSE TO RELO10 CATE TO NEW RESIDENCE. 

11 (a) CONTINUING ELIGIBILITY.— 

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

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

14 10(g)) is amended by adding at the end the fol15 lowing: 

16 ‘‘(4) CONTINUING ELIGIBILITY FOR CERTAIN

17 MILITARY SPOUSES.— 

18 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding para19 graph (1) of subsection (b), an individual who 

20 is employed in a full-time teaching position that 

21 meets the requirements of this section for a pe22 riod that includes 5 complete but nonconsecu23 tive years may be eligible for loan forgiveness 

24 pursuant to such subsection, if the individual 

25 was a qualified military spouse with respect to 

26 any year during such period for which the indiVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:11 Jan 30, 2018 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2351.IS S2351

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1 vidual was not employed as a full-time teacher 

2 in a school or location meeting the requirements 

3 of this section. 

4 ‘‘(B) QUALIFIED MILITARY SPOUSE DE5 FINED.—In this paragraph, the term ‘qualified 

6 military spouse’ means, with respect to a year, 

7 an individual who— 

8 ‘‘(i) during the previous year, served 

9 as a teacher in a school or location meeting 

10 the requirements of subparagraph (A) of 

11 subsection (b)(1) and met the require12 ments of subparagraph (B) of subsection 

13 (b)(1); 

14 ‘‘(ii) is the spouse of a member of the 

15 Armed Forces who is relocated during the 

16 year pursuant to military orders for a per17 manent change of duty station; 

18 ‘‘(iii) did not serve as a teacher in a 

19 school or location meeting the require20 ments of subparagraph (A) of subsection 

21 (b)(1) during the year or any portion of 

22 the year because the individual accom23 panied the spouse to a new residence as a 

24 result of such military orders; and 


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1 ‘‘(iv) during the following year, re2 sumed service as a teacher in a school or 

3 location meeting the requirements of sub4 paragraph (A) of subsection (b)(1) and 

5 met the requirements of subparagraph (B) 

6 of subsection (b)(1). 

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

8 than 90 days after the end of the second aca9 demic year during which this paragraph is in 

10 effect, and every 2 years thereafter, the Sec11 retary shall submit to Congress a report de12 scribing the number of individuals who, as a re13 sult of this paragraph, remained eligible for 

14 loan forgiveness pursuant to subsection (b) dur15 ing the 2 most recent academic years.’’. 

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

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

18 is amended by adding at the end the following: 

19 ‘‘(4) CONTINUING ELIGIBILITY FOR CERTAIN

20 MILITARY SPOUSES.— 

21 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding para22 graph (1) of subsection (b), an individual who 

23 is employed in a full-time teaching position that 

24 meets the requirements of this section for a pe25 riod that includes 5 complete but nonconsecuVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:11 Jan 30, 2018 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2351.IS S2351

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1 tive years may be eligible for loan cancellation 

2 pursuant to such subsection, if the individual 

3 was a qualified military spouse with respect to 

4 any year during such period for which the indi5 vidual was not employed as a full-time teacher 

6 in a school or location meeting the requirements 

7 of this section. 

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

10 military spouse’ means, with respect to a year, 

11 an individual who— 

12 ‘‘(i) during the previous year, served 

13 as a teacher in a school or location meeting 

14 the requirements of subparagraph (A) of 

15 subsection (b)(1) and met the require16 ments of subparagraph (B) of subsection 

17 (b)(1); 

18 ‘‘(ii) is the spouse of a member of the 

19 Armed Forces who is relocated during the 

20 year pursuant to military orders for a per21 manent change of duty station; 

22 ‘‘(iii) did not serve as a teacher in a 

23 school or location meeting the require24 ments of subparagraph (A) of subsection 

25 (b)(1) during the year or any portion of 


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1 the year because the individual accom2 panied the spouse to a new residence as a 

3 result of such military orders; and 

4 ‘‘(iv) during the following year, re5 sumed service as a teacher in a school or 

6 location meeting the requirements of sub7 paragraph (A) of subsection (b)(1) and 

8 met the requirements of subparagraph (B) 

9 of subsection (b)(1). 

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

11 than 90 days after the end of the second aca12 demic year during which this paragraph is in 

13 effect, and every 2 years thereafter, the Sec14 retary shall submit to Congress a report de15 scribing the number of individuals who, as a re16 sult of this paragraph, remained eligible for 

17 loan cancellation pursuant to subsection (b) 

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

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

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

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

22 date of the enactment of this Act. 

Æ 


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