Student Loan Forgiveness for Frontline Health Workers Act

Bill: 117-hr-2418
Sponsor: Rep. Maloney, Carolyn B. [D-NY-12]
Introduced: 2021-04-08 in the House
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Administrative remedies
Cardiovascular and respiratory health
Department of Education
Department of Health and Human Services
Department of the Treasury
Emergency medical services and trauma care
Executive agency funding and structure
Government information and archives
Government lending and loan guarantees
Health personnel
Higher education
Income tax exclusion
Infectious and parasitic diseases
Interest, dividends, interest rates
Student aid and college costs
Worker safety and health

Summary:
action_date: 2021-04-08
text: 

Student Loan Forgiveness for Frontline Health Workers Act

 
This bill establishes temporary programs to provide federal and private student loan forgiveness to certain frontline health care workers. Frontline health care workers are those individuals who have made significant contributions to the medical response (e.g., patient care, medical research, or testing) to the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) national emergency.
 
Specifically, the Department of Education (ED) must carry out a program to forgive the outstanding balance of principal and interest due on federal student loans for borrowers who are frontline health care workers. 
 
Additionally, the Department of the Treasury must carry out a program to repay in full the outstanding balance of principal and interest due on certain private student loans for borrowers who are frontline health care workers.
 
ED and Treasury must coordinate to ensure that eligibility determinations are consistent across both programs and that frontline health care workers who are eligible for both programs may apply for loan forgiveness with a single application. Further, such programs must be available to frontline health care workers who were borrowers of eligible loans and who died as a result of COVID-19.
 
The bill specifies the notification requirements related to the availability of these programs.
 
ED, Treasury, and the Department of Health and Human Services must jointly establish an intergovernmental working group to assist with the administration of these programs, including the development of the application process.
 
The bill also excludes discharged student loan debt under these programs from an individual's gross income.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2021-04-08
text: Referred to the Committee on Education and Labor, and in addition to the Committees on Financial Services, and Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2021-04-08
text: Referred to the Committee on Education and Labor, and in addition to the Committees on Financial Services, and Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2021-04-08
text: Referred to the Committee on Education and Labor, and in addition to the Committees on Financial Services, and Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2021-04-08
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2021-04-08
text: Introduced in House