Title: Consider Teachers Act
Policy area: Education

Summary:
Consider Teachers Act
This bill revises the service obligation verification process for the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) grant program.
For example, the bill provides a process for the Department of Education to reconsider and reverse the conversion of a TEACH grant to a loan.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1387 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1387

   To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 in order to improve the 
service obligation verification process for TEACH Grant recipients, and 
                          for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 9, 2019

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 in order to improve the 
service obligation verification process for TEACH Grant recipients, and 
                          for other purposes.

    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 ``Consider Teachers Act''.

SEC. 2. TEACH GRANTS.

    Section 420N of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070g-
2) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (b)(1)(D), by inserting, ``by not later 
        than the October 31 following the year of such service'';
            (2) in subsection (c)--
                    (A) by striking ``In the event'' and inserting the 
                following:
            ``(1) In general.--In the event''; and
                    (B) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(2) Reconsideration of conversion decisions.--
                    ``(A) Request to reconsider.--In any case where the 
                Secretary has determined that a recipient of a grant 
                under this subpart has failed or refused to comply with 
                the service obligation in the agreement under 
                subsection (b) and has converted the grant into a 
                Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan under part D 
                in accordance with paragraph (1), the recipient may 
                request that the Secretary reconsider the determination 
                and may submit additional information to demonstrate 
                satisfaction of the service obligation.
                    ``(B) Reconsideration.--If, in reconsidering a 
                determination under subparagraph (A), the Secretary 
                determines that the reason for the initial 
                determination was the recipient's failure to timely 
                submit an annual recertification required under 
                subsection (b)(1)(D), and that the recipient has, as of 
                the date of the reconsideration, demonstrated that the 
                recipient did meet, or is meeting the service 
                obligation in the agreement under subsection (b), the 
                Secretary shall--
                            ``(i) discharge the Federal Direct 
                        Unsubsidized Stafford Loan under part D, and 
                        reinstate the recipient's grant under this 
                        subpart;
                            ``(ii) discharge any interest or fees that 
                        may have accumulated during the period that the 
                        grant was converted to a Federal Direct 
                        Unsubsidized Stafford Loan under part D;
                            ``(iii) if the recipient has other loans 
                        under part D, apply any payments made for the 
                        Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan under 
                        part D during such period to those other loans 
                        under part D;
                            ``(iv) if the recipient does not have other 
                        loans under part D, reimburse the recipient for 
                        any amounts paid on the Federal Direct 
                        Unsubsidized Stafford Loan under part D during 
                        such period; and
                            ``(v) use the additional information 
                        provided under subparagraph (A) to determine 
                        the progress the recipient has made in meeting 
                        the service obligation.
                    ``(C) Extension of time to complete service 
                obligation.--In the case of a recipient whose grant 
                under this subpart was reinstated in accordance with 
                subparagraph (B) prior to December 31, 2018, the 
                Secretary may extend the time remaining for the 
                recipient to fulfill the service obligation for a 
                period of time equal to the time that recipient had 
                remaining to fulfill the service obligation at the time 
                that grant was originally converted into a Federal 
                Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan under part D of title 
                IV in accordance with paragraph (1).
                    ``(D) Rule of construction.--Nothing in this 
                paragraph shall be construed to mean that the service 
                obligation under this subpart is waived.''; and
            (3) in subsection (d), by adding at the end the following:
            ``(3) Communication with recipients.--The Secretary shall 
        ensure that each servicer for grants under this subpart 
        notifies TEACH grant recipients by October 5 of each year 
        regarding how to submit documentation regarding the grants 
        under this subpart and the October 31 deadline established 
        under subsection (b)(1)(D).''.
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