Preserving Teacher Loan Forgiveness for Military Spouses Act of 2017

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. Short title This Act may be cited as the Preserving Teacher Loan Forgiveness for Military Spouses Act of 2017 2. Continuing eligibility to participate in student loan forgiveness or loan cancellation program for teachers whose period of consecutive employment is interrupted because of military orders requiring spouse to relocate to new residence (a) Continuing Eligibility (1) Part B Loans Section 428J(g) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 1078–10(g) (4) Continuing eligibility for certain military spouses (A) In general Notwithstanding paragraph (1) of subsection (b), an individual who is employed as a full-time teacher for 5 complete years which are not consecutive years may be eligible for loan forgiveness pursuant to such subsection if the individual was a qualified military spouse with respect to any year during which the individual was not employed as a full-time teacher. (B) Qualified military spouse defined In this paragraph, the term qualified military spouse (i) during the previous year, served as a teacher in a school or location meeting the requirements of subparagraph (A) of subsection (b)(1) and met the requirements of subparagraph (B) of subsection (b)(1); (ii) is the spouse of a member of the Armed Forces who is relocated during the year pursuant to military orders for a permanent change of duty station; (iii) did not serve as a teacher in a school or location meeting the requirements of subparagraph (A) of subsection (b)(1) during the year or any portion of the year because the individual accompanied the spouse to a new residence as a result of such military orders; and (iv) during the following year, resumed service as a teacher in a school or location meeting the requirements of subparagraph (A) of subsection (b)(1) and met the requirements of subparagraph (B) of subsection (b)(1). (C) Reports to Congress Not later than 90 days after the end of the second academic year during which this paragraph is in effect, and every 2 years thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report describing the number of individuals who, as a result of this paragraph, remained eligible for loan forgiveness pursuant to subsection (b) during the 2 most recent academic years. . (2) Part D Loans Section 460(g) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 1087j(g) (4) Continuing eligibility for certain military spouses (A) In general Notwithstanding paragraph (1) of subsection (b), an individual who is employed as a full-time teacher for 5 complete years which are not consecutive years may be eligible for loan cancellation pursuant to such subsection if the individual was a qualified military spouse with respect to any year during which the individual was not employed as a full-time teacher. (B) Qualified military spouse defined In this paragraph, the term qualified military spouse (i) during the previous year, served as a teacher in a school or location meeting the requirements of subparagraph (A) of subsection (b)(1) and met the requirements of subparagraph (B) of subsection (b)(1); (ii) is the spouse of a member of the Armed Forces who is relocated during the year pursuant to military orders for a permanent change of duty station; (iii) did not serve as a teacher in a school or location meeting the requirements of subparagraph (A) of subsection (b)(1) during the year or any portion of the year because the individual accompanied the spouse to a new residence as a result of such military orders; and (iv) during the following year, resumed service as a teacher in a school or location meeting the requirements of subparagraph (A) of subsection (b)(1) and met the requirements of subparagraph (B) of subsection (b)(1). (C) Reports to Congress Not later than 90 days after the end of the second academic year during which this paragraph is in effect, and every 2 years thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report describing the number of individuals who, as a result of this paragraph, remained eligible for loan cancellation pursuant to subsection (b) during the 2 most recent academic years. . (b) Effective date The amendments made by subsection (a) shall apply with respect to individuals who first become employed as full-time teachers on or after the date of the enactment of this Act.

Summary: Preserving Teacher Loan Forgiveness for Military Spouses Act of 2017 This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to modify the qualifying service requirement of the teacher loan forgiveness program for certain military spouses who are borrowers under the Federal Family Education Loan program or the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan program. Under current law, an otherwise qualified full-time teacher must complete five consecutive years of service to be eligible for the teacher loan forgiveness program. This bill permits a teacher who completes five full-time years of non-consecutive service to be eligible for loan forgiveness if the teacher was a qualified military spouse during a break in teaching service. A qualified military spouse is an individual who: (1) is a highly-qualified teacher at a high-need school, (2) is the spouse of a servicemember, (3) experienced a break in teaching service to relocate with servicemember spouse pursuant to military orders, and (4) resumed teaching the following year.