I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1757 
To provide enhanced student loan relief to educators. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 23, 2023 
Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ (for herself, Mrs. HAYES, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. 
PETERS, Mr. BOWMAN, Ms. CHU, Mr. DESAULNIER, Mr. BLUMENAUER, 
Ms. JAYAPAL, Mr. CARBAJAL, Mr. TRONE, Ms. NORTON, Ms. TOKUDA, 
Mr. GARCI´A of Illinois, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Ms. STANSBURY, Ms. CARAVEO, 
Mr. VARGAS, Mr. CARTER of Louisiana, Mr. DOGGETT, Mr. JOHNSON of 
Georgia, Ms. TLAIB, Ms. VELA´ZQUEZ, Ms. ADAMS, and Mr. CARSON) in-
troduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Edu-
cation and the Workforce 
A BILL 
To provide enhanced student loan relief to educators. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Loan Forgiveness for 
Educators Act’’. 
SEC. 2. LOAN FORGIVENESS AND CANCELLATION FOR EDU-
CATORS. 
(a) ENHANCED
TEACHER
LOAN
FORGIVENESS 
UNDER
THE FFEL PROGRAM.—Section 428J of the 
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Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1078–10) is 
amended to read as follows: 
‘‘SEC. 428J. LOAN FORGIVENESS FOR EDUCATORS. 
‘‘(a) PURPOSE.—It is the purpose of this section to 
enhance student access to a well-prepared, diverse, and 
stable educator workforce by eliminating debt burdens for 
educators in return for service teaching and leading in 
high-need schools or early childhood education programs. 
‘‘(b) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.—Not later than 270 
days after the date of enactment of the Loan Forgiveness 
for Educators Act, the Secretary shall carry out a pro-
gram, through the holder of the loan, of assuming, as re-
quired under subsection (c), the obligation to repay a cov-
ered loan for qualifying educators engaged in qualifying 
service. A qualifying educator may apply for the program 
under this section after the Secretary has begun carrying 
out the program. 
‘‘(c) FORGIVENESS OF COVERED LOANS.— 
‘‘(1) FORGIVENESS OF LOANS UPON COMPLE-
TION OF QUALIFYING SERVICE.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—For each qualifying 
educator who has completed 5 years of quali-
fying service (including any qualifying service, 
as defined under this section as in effect after 
the date of implementation of the Loan For-
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monthly payment made by the qualifying educa-
tor for purposes of the loan forgiveness pro-
gram under section 455(m), if applicable. 
‘‘(3) APPLICATION.—The Secretary shall de-
velop and make publicly available an application for 
qualifying educators who wish to receive loan for-
giveness under this subsection. The application 
shall— 
‘‘(A) be available for qualifying educators 
to file for loan forgiveness under paragraph (1) 
and for monthly loan forgiveness under para-
graph (2); 
‘‘(B) include any certification requirements 
that the Secretary determines are necessary to 
verify qualifying service; and 
‘‘(C) allow for the verification of the quali-
fying service— 
‘‘(i) in the case of an early childhood 
educator or an elementary or secondary 
school teacher serving in a high-need 
school, by a school leader or the adminis-
trator of a local educational agency, edu-
cational service agency, Bureau of Indian 
Education, Native Hawaiian education sys-
tem, or State educational agency that 
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serves the school (or the administrator’s 
designee); 
‘‘(ii) in the case of an early childhood 
educator serving in an early childhood edu-
cation program, by the director of that 
program (or the director’s designee); 
‘‘(iii) in the case of a school leader 
serving in a high-need school, by the ad-
ministrator of a local educational agency, 
educational service agency, Bureau of In-
dian Education, Native Hawaiian edu-
cation system, or State educational agency 
that serves the school (or the administra-
tor’s designee); 
‘‘(iv) in the case of a director of an 
early childhood education program, a lead-
er of the entity overseeing the early child-
hood education program; and 
‘‘(v) in the case of a family child care 
provider or the director of an early child-
hood education program that operates as a 
standalone center-based program (for ex-
ample, a case in which the center is not 
part of a larger company) that is an early 
childhood education program, by self-cer-
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tification with supporting documents, such 
as a business license, a listing with a pub-
lic Child Care Resources and Referral 
website, or proof of participation in a Fed-
eral child care or preschool subsidy pro-
gram. 
‘‘(4) PARENT PLUS LOANS.— 
‘‘(A) PARENT PLUS LOAN ON BEHALF OF 
A
STUDENT
WHO
IS
A
QUALIFYING
EDUCA-
TOR.—A borrower of a parent loan under sec-
tion 428B issued on behalf of a student who is 
a qualifying educator shall qualify for loan for-
giveness and any other benefits under this sec-
tion for the qualifying service of the student in 
the same manner and to the same extent as the 
student borrower qualifies for such loan forgive-
ness and other benefits. 
‘‘(B) PARENT PLUS LOAN BORROWED BY A 
PARENT WHO IS A QUALIFYING EDUCATOR.— 
The borrower of a parent loan under section 
428B issued on behalf of a student who is not 
a qualifying educator shall also qualify for loan 
forgiveness and any other benefits under this 
section for qualifying service if that parent bor-
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rower is engaged in qualifying service and 
meets the requirements of this section. 
‘‘(5) RECIPIENTS OF PRIOR FORGIVENESS.—A 
qualifying educator who received loan forgiveness 
under this section as in effect before the date of en-
actment of the Loan Forgiveness for Educators Act 
of 2022— 
‘‘(A) shall be eligible for loan forgiveness 
of covered loans in accordance with paragraph 
(1), including any remaining covered loans; and 
‘‘(B) may count the service completed that 
qualified the qualifying educator for previous 
loan forgiveness as qualifying service for pur-
poses of paragraph (1). 
‘‘(6) PROHIBITION
ON
REQUIRING
REPAY-
MENT.—A qualifying educator shall not be required 
to repay any amounts paid under this subsection if 
that qualifying educator who engages in qualifying 
service ends the qualifying service before the end of 
a school or program year, or before the end of the 
5-year period described in paragraph (1). 
‘‘(d) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary is authorized to 
issue such regulations as may be necessary to carry out 
the provisions of this section. 
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‘‘(e) CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this section shall 
be construed to authorize any refunding of any repayment 
of a loan. 
‘‘(f) LIST.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, shall— 
‘‘(A) as soon as practicable, produce and 
make publicly available a list of high-need 
schools for purposes of this section; and 
‘‘(B) annually update such list. 
‘‘(2) LIST FROM PREVIOUS YEAR.—If the list of 
high-need schools in which a qualifying educator 
may perform qualifying service is not available be-
fore May 1 of any year, the Secretary may use the 
list for the year preceding the year for which the de-
termination is made to make a determination about 
whether an individual meets the requirements for 
qualifying service. 
‘‘(g) ADDITIONAL ELIGIBILITY PROVISIONS.— 
‘‘(1) CONTINUED ELIGIBILITY.—Any qualifying 
educator who performs qualifying service in a school 
that— 
‘‘(A) is a high-need school in any school 
year during such service; and 
‘‘(B) in a subsequent school year fails to 
meet the definition of a high-need school, 
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may continue to serve in such school and shall be el-
igible for loan forgiveness pursuant to subsection 
(b). 
‘‘(2) PREVENTION OF DOUBLE BENEFITS.—No 
qualifying educator may, for the same service, re-
ceive a benefit under both this section and— 
‘‘(A) section 428K; or 
‘‘(B) subtitle D of title I of the National 
and Community Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 
12601 et seq.). 
‘‘(3) NO
PENALTY
FOR
PROMOTIONS.—Any 
qualifying educator who performs qualifying service 
in an early childhood education program or high- 
need school and who is promoted to another position 
within that early childhood program or high-need 
school after 1 or more years of qualifying service 
may continue to be employed in such position in 
such program or school and shall be eligible to count 
the period of employment in such position as quali-
fying service for loan forgiveness pursuant to sub-
section (b). 
‘‘(h) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) BUREAU OF INDIAN EDUCATION FUNDED 
ELEMENTARY OR SECONDARY SCHOOL.—The term 
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‘Bureau of Indian Education funded elementary or 
secondary school’ means— 
‘‘(A) an elementary or secondary school or 
dormitory operated by the Bureau of Indian 
Education; 
‘‘(B) an elementary or secondary school or 
dormitory operated pursuant to a grant under 
the Tribally Controlled Schools Act of 1988 (25 
U.S.C. 2501 et seq.); and 
‘‘(C) an elementary or secondary school or 
dormitory operated pursuant to a contract 
under the Indian Self-Determination and Edu-
cation Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5301 et seq.). 
‘‘(2) BUREAU
OF
INDIAN
EDUCATION
EARLY 
CHILDHOOD
DEVELOPMENT
PROGRAM.—The term 
‘Bureau of Indian Education early childhood devel-
opment program’ means— 
‘‘(A) a program operating under a grant 
authorized by section 1139 of the Education 
Amendments of 1978 (25 U.S.C. 2019); or 
‘‘(B) an early childhood education program 
operated or funded by the Bureau of Indian 
Education (including Family and Child Edu-
cation programs at schools funded by the Bu-
reau of Indian Education authorized under sec-
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and improvement, under section 1111 of the El-
ementary and Secondary Education Act of 
1965; 
‘‘(D) a Bureau of Indian Education funded 
elementary or secondary school; 
‘‘(E) an elementary or secondary school 
operated by a Tribal educational agency; or 
‘‘(F) a Native Hawaiian education system. 
‘‘(6) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘Indian Tribe’ 
means the recognized governing body of any Indian 
or Alaska Native Tribe, band, nation, pueblo, village, 
community, component band, or component reserva-
tion, individually identified (including parentheti-
cally) in the list published most recently as of the 
date of enactment of this subtitle pursuant to sec-
tion 104 of the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe 
List Act of 1994 (25 U.S.C. 5131). 
‘‘(7) NATIVE HAWAIIAN EDUCATION SYSTEM.— 
The term ‘Native Hawaiian education system’ means 
an entity eligible to receive direct grants or enter 
into contracts with the Secretary under section 6205 
of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 7515) to carry out the authorized 
activities under that section. 
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‘‘(8) QUALIFYING EDUCATOR.—Subject to sub-
section (i), the term ‘qualifying educator’ means— 
‘‘(A) an elementary or secondary school 
teacher who— 
‘‘(i) has obtained full State or Tribal 
certification and licensure requirements for 
such employment; and 
‘‘(ii) has not had such certification or 
licensure requirements waived on an emer-
gency, temporary, or provisional basis; 
‘‘(B) an early childhood educator who pro-
vides care or instruction to children; 
‘‘(C) a school leader of an elementary or 
secondary school who— 
‘‘(i) has obtained full State or Tribal 
certification and licensure requirements for 
such employment; and 
‘‘(ii) has not had such certification or 
licensure requirements waived on an emer-
gency, temporary, or provisional basis; or 
‘‘(D) an early childhood education program 
director (including a family child care provider). 
‘‘(9) QUALIFYING SERVICE.— 
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‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—Subject to subpara-
graph 
(B), 
the 
term 
‘qualifying 
service’ 
means— 
‘‘(i) in the case of a qualifying educa-
tor described in subparagraph (A) or (C) 
of paragraph (8), employment as a full- 
time qualifying educator in a high-need 
school; and 
‘‘(ii) in the case of a qualifying educa-
tor described in subparagraph (B) or (D) 
of paragraph (8), employment as a full- 
time qualifying educator in an early child-
hood education program (including school- 
based programs). 
‘‘(B) EXCEPTION.—In the case of a quali-
fying educator who is unable to complete a full 
school or program year of service, that year 
may still be counted toward the required quali-
fying service period under paragraphs (1) and 
(2) of subsection (c) if— 
‘‘(i) the qualifying educator completed 
at least one-half of the school or program 
year; 
‘‘(ii) the employer considers the quali-
fying educator to have fulfilled the contract 
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requirements for the school or program 
year for the purposes of salary increases, 
tenure, and retirement; and 
‘‘(iii) the qualifying educator was un-
able to complete the school or program 
year because— 
‘‘(I) the qualifying educator re-
turned to postsecondary education, on 
at least a half-time basis, in an area 
of study directly related to the per-
formance of the qualifying service; 
‘‘(II) the qualifying educator ex-
perienced a condition described in sec-
tion 102 of the Family and Medical 
Leave Act of 1993 (29 U.S.C. 2612); 
‘‘(III) the qualifying educator 
was called or ordered to Federal or 
State active duty status, or Active 
Service as a member of a Reserve 
Component of the Armed Forces 
named in section 10101 of title 10, 
United States Code, or service as a 
member of the National Guard on 
full-time National Guard duty, as de-
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fined in section 101(d)(5) of title 10, 
United States Code; or 
‘‘(IV) the qualifying educator re-
sides in or is employed in a disaster 
area, as declared by any Federal, 
State, or local official in connection 
with a national emergency. 
‘‘(10) SCHOOL
LEADER.—The term ‘school 
leader’ has the meaning given that term in section 
8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education 
Act of 1965. 
‘‘(11) TRIBAL EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION 
PROGRAM.—The term ‘Tribal early childhood edu-
cation program’ means any of the following pro-
grams: 
‘‘(A) An American Indian or Alaska Native 
Head Start or Early Head Start program car-
ried out under the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 
9831 et seq.). 
‘‘(B) A Tribal child care and development 
program carried out under the Child Care and 
Development Block Grant of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 
9858 et seq.). 
‘‘(C) A program serving children from 
birth through age 6 that— 
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‘‘(i) receives funding support from the 
Native American language preservation 
and maintenance program carried out 
under section 803C of the Native Amer-
ican Programs Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 
2991b–3); 
‘‘(ii) is a Tribal prekindergarten pro-
gram; 
‘‘(iii) is a program authorized under 
section 619 or part C of the Individuals 
with Disabilities Education Act; or 
‘‘(iv) is a center-based or group-based 
early childhood learning or development 
program that the Secretary determines 
shall be included under this definition, 
after receiving a request from an Indian 
Tribe. 
‘‘(12) TRIBAL
EDUCATIONAL
AGENCY.—The 
term ‘Tribal educational agency’ has the meaning 
given the term (without respect to capitalization) in 
section 6132(b) of the Elementary and Secondary 
Education Act of 1965. 
‘‘(13) YEAR.—The term ‘year’, when applied to 
service as a qualifying educator, means a school or 
program year as defined by the Secretary or the 
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