Title: Volunteer First Responder Loan Forgiveness Act
Policy area: Education

Summary:
Volunteer First Responder Loan Forgiveness Act
This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to make certain volunteer first responders eligible for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program under the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2207 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2207

  To allow qualified volunteer first responders to qualify for public 
                       service loan forgiveness.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            December 7, 2017

 Mr. Tester (for himself, Mrs. McCaskill, and Ms. Heitkamp) introduced 
the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee 
               on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To allow qualified volunteer first responders to qualify for public 
                       service loan forgiveness.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Volunteer First Responder Loan 
Forgiveness Act''.

SEC. 2. LOAN FORGIVENESS FOR VOLUNTEER FIRST RESPONDERS.

    Section 455(m)(3) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
1087e(m)(3)) is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (B)--
                    (A) in clause (i), by striking ``or'' after the 
                semicolon;
                    (B) in clause (ii), by striking the period at the 
                end and inserting ``; or''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following:
                            ``(iii) volunteer work as a qualified 
                        volunteer first responder in accordance with 
                        subparagraph (C).''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(C) Qualified volunteer first responder.--
                            ``(i) In general.--The term `qualified 
                        volunteer first responder' means an individual 
                        who--
                                    ``(I) does volunteer work for a 
                                public safety organization (which may 
                                include firefighters, law enforcement 
                                officers, emergency medical personnel, 
                                or other first responders to 
                                emergencies); and
                                    ``(II) is certified as a 
                                firefighter, law enforcement officer, 
                                emergency medical services provider, or 
                                other responder in the State, unit of 
                                general local government, or Indian 
                                tribe in which the individual serves as 
                                a volunteer.
                            ``(ii) Public safety organization.--The 
                        term `public safety organization' means any 
                        State, local, or tribal governmental agency or 
                        nonprofit organization that has the principal 
                        purpose of protecting the safety of life, 
                        health, or property.
                            ``(iii) Full-time employment.--The 
                        Secretary shall--
                                    ``(I) determine the minimum 
                                volunteer time required for a qualified 
                                volunteer first responder to be treated 
                                as an individual employed in a full-
                                time job for purposes of this 
                                subsection; and
                                    ``(II) ensure that such minimum 
                                volunteer time--
                                            ``(aa) is not less than the 
                                        amount of volunteer time that 
                                        is required for the qualified 
                                        volunteer first responder to be 
                                        considered an active member of 
                                        the relevant public safety 
                                        organization; and
                                            ``(bb) does not exceed the 
                                        equivalent of 200 hours per 
                                        year.''.

SEC. 3. REGULATIONS.

    The Secretary of Education shall promulgate, after consultation 
with public safety organizations (which shall include firefighter, law 
enforcement officer, and emergency responder organizations), 
regulations to carry out the amendments made by section 2, including 
regulations relating to--
            (1) the minimum volunteer time required for a qualified 
        volunteer first responder to be treated as an individual 
        employed in a full-time job for purposes of section 455(m) of 
        the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087e(m)); and
            (2) the process of tracking and verifying that volunteer 
        time.

SEC. 4. ENGAGEMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY ORGANIZATIONS.

    The Secretary of Education shall develop a plan regarding how the 
Department of Education will--
            (1) disseminate information and raise awareness about 
        eligibility for qualified volunteer first responders for public 
        service loan forgiveness under section 455(m) of the Higher 
        Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087e(m)) (as amended by this 
        Act); and
            (2) engage qualified volunteer first responders and public 
        safety organizations in the process of tracking and verifying 
        volunteer hours for purposes of public service loan forgiveness 
        under such section.
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