II 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1175 

To improve the public service loan forgiveness program. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 11, 2019 

Mr. WHITEHOUSE (for himself and Mr. KAINE) introduced the following bill; 

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

A BILL 

To improve the public service loan forgiveness program. 

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 ‘‘PSLF Technical Cor5 rections Act of 2019’’. 

6 SEC. 2. AMENDMENT TO THE HIGHER EDUCATION ACT OF 

7 1965. 

8 Section 455(m) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 

9 (20 U.S.C. 1087e(m)) is amended— 

10 (1) by redesignating paragraphs (2) through 

11 (4) as paragraphs (3) through (5), respectively; 


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1 (2) in paragraph (1)— 

2 (A) in the matter preceding subparagraph 

3 (A), by striking ‘‘paragraph (2)’’ and inserting 

4 ‘‘paragraph (3)’’; and 

5 (B) in subparagraph (A)— 

6 (i) in clause (ii), by inserting ‘‘or’’ 

7 after the semicolon; 

8 (ii) by striking clause (iii); and 

9 (iii) by redesignating clause (iv) as 

10 clause (iii); 

11 (3) by inserting after paragraph (1) the fol12 lowing: 

13 ‘‘(2) PAYMENTS IN GRADUATED OR EXTENDED

14 PLANS.— 

15 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In addition to can16 celing the balance of interest and principal due 

17 for a borrower described in paragraph (1), the 

18 Secretary shall also cancel the balance of inter19 est and principal due, in accordance with para20 graph (3), on any eligible Federal Direct Loan 

21 not in default for a borrower who— 

22 ‘‘(i) has made 120 qualifying monthly 

23 payments, as defined in subparagraph (B), 

24 on the eligible Federal Direct Loan after 

25 October 1, 2007; 


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1 ‘‘(ii) is employed in a public service 

2 job at the time of such forgiveness; and 

3 ‘‘(iii) has been employed in a public 

4 service job during the period in which the 

5 borrower makes each of the 120 payments 

6 described in clause (i). 

7 ‘‘(B) QUALIFYING MONTHLY PAYMENT.— 

8 In this paragraph, the term ‘qualifying monthly 

9 payment’ means any payment made under any 

10 repayment plan that is not described in clause 

11 (i), (ii), or (iii) of paragraph (1)(A) that satis12 fied the monthly amount the borrower was re13 quired to pay at the time the monthly amount 

14 due was billed to the borrower.’’; 

15 (4) in paragraph (3), as redesignated by para16 graph (1), by inserting ‘‘or paragraph (2), as the 

17 case may be’’ after ‘‘paragraph (1)’’; and 

18 (5) by adding at the end the following: 

19 ‘‘(6) DISPUTE RESOLUTION PROCESS.—Not 

20 later than July 1, 2019, the Secretary shall establish 

21 a process for borrowers to dispute the calculation of 

22 the number of monthly payments under paragraph 

23 (1) or (2) that count toward loan forgiveness under 

24 this subsection following the borrower’s submission 

25 of a certification of employment or application for 


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1 forgiveness (or any successor certification or applica2 tion) under this subsection. 

3 ‘‘(7) RECALCULATING THE NUMBER OF QUALI4 FYING PAYMENT OBLIGATIONS FOR CURRENT PUB5 LIC SERVICE LOAN FORGIVENESS PROGRAM PARTICI6 PANTS.—Not later than July 1, 2019, the Secretary 

7 shall, for each borrower that has submitted a certifi8 cation of employment under this subsection before 

9 July 1, 2019— 

10 ‘‘(A) calculate the number of monthly pay11 ments under paragraph (1) or (2) that count 

12 toward loan forgiveness under this subsection, 

13 using the criteria under this subsection as in ef14 fect on July 1, 2019; and 

15 ‘‘(B) inform the borrower of the changes to 

16 the public service loan forgiveness program 

17 under this subsection that take effect on or be18 fore July 1, 2019, and the number of monthly 

19 payments calculated for the borrower in accord20 ance with subparagraph (A).’’. 

Æ 


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