Title: Protecting Access to Loan Forgiveness for Public Servants During the COVID–19 Pandemic Act
Policy area: Education

Summary:
Protecting Access to Loan Forgiveness for Public Servants During the COVID-19 Pandemic Act
This bill allows public service employees who are impacted by the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) public health emergency to continue to participate, without disruption, in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program.
Specifically, an individual who was employed in a public service job and who experiences lapse in employment (e.g., a furlough, a layoff, or the individual's resignation due to illness or caregiving responsibilities) because of the COVID-19 public health emergency may continue to participate in the PSLF program without disruption. The bill treats such an individual as employed in a public service job during the emergency and deems a monthly payment made by the individual as a qualifying monthly payment toward loan cancellation under the PSLF program. However, unless the individual would have completed requirements for loan cancellation during the public health emergency, the individual must resume employment in a public service job within six months after the end of the emergency.
In addition, the bill directs the Department of Education to develop and make available guidance related to the assistance provided by the bill.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7761 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7761

  To provide for student loan forgiveness for public service workers 
whose employment may have been affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 
                          (COVID-19) pandemic.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 23, 2020

    Mr. Swalwell of California (for himself, Mr. Joyce of Ohio, Mr. 
  Cisneros, Mr. Cooper, Ms. Dean, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Mr. Hastings, Mrs. 
Hayes, Mr. Larson of Connecticut, Ms. Lee of California, Ms. Meng, Mr. 
  Moulton, Mr. Rouda, Mr. Ruppersberger, Ms. Scanlon, Mr. Thompson of 
  Mississippi, Mrs. Trahan, and Mr. Vargas) introduced the following 
    bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To provide for student loan forgiveness for public service workers 
whose employment may have been affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 
                          (COVID-19) pandemic.

    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 ``Protecting Access to Loan 
Forgiveness for Public Servants During the COVID-19 Pandemic Act''.

SEC. 2. PUBLIC SERVICE LOAN FORGIVENESS PROGRAM.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Employment disruption.--The term ``employment 
        disruption'' means a lapse in an individual's employment that 
        is related to the novel coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19), 
        such as a furlough or reduction in force by the employer or the 
        individual's resignation due to illness or family caregiving 
        responsibilities.
            (2) Public service job.--The term ``public service job'' 
        has the meaning given the term in section 455(m)(3) of the 
        Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087e(m)(3)).
            (3) Qualifying emergency.--The term ``qualifying 
        emergency'' has the meaning given the term in section 3502 of 
        division A of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic 
        Security Act (Public Law 116-136).
            (4) Qualifying individual.--The term ``qualifying 
        individual'' means an individual who--
                    (A) has a loan that qualifies for public service 
                loan forgiveness under section 455(m) of the Higher 
                Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087e(m)); and
                    (B) during the qualifying emergency period--
                            (i) was employed in a public service job; 
                        and
                            (ii) experiences an employment disruption 
                        with respect to the public service job and no 
                        longer is employed in a public service job.
    (b) In General.--Subject to subsection (c), during the qualifying 
emergency, a monthly payment made by a qualifying individual pursuant 
to a repayment plan listed in section 455(m)(1)(A) of the Higher 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087e(m)(1)(A)) (including a payment 
deemed under section 3513(c) of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and 
Economic Security Act (Public Law 116-136) to have been made pursuant 
to such a repayment plan) shall be deemed to be a monthly payment made 
by an individual employed in a public service job for purposes of the 
public service loan forgiveness program under section 455(m) of the 
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087e(m)).
    (c) Special Rule.--Subsection (b) shall only apply to a qualifying 
individual who resumes employment in any public service job by the date 
that is 6 months after the last day of the qualifying emergency, except 
that any qualifying individual who, as a result of the application of 
subsection (b), would have completed the requirements for loan 
cancellation under section 455(m)(2) of the Higher Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087e(m)(2)) during the qualifying emergency, shall 
receive such loan cancellation without any required resumption of 
public service job employment.
    (d) Guidance.--Not later than 60 days after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary of Education shall develop and make 
available guidance for qualifying individuals regarding the assistance 
available under this section, including a description of any 
documentation such an individual shall provide to the Secretary to 
confirm whether the individual's lapse in employment meets the 
definition of employment disruption.
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