Loan Forgiveness for Educators Act of 2026
Latest action · May 19, 2026 Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedMay 19, 2026
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Loan Forgiveness for Educators Act of 2026
This bill expands loan forgiveness for educators by revising the Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program. The program provides loan forgiveness (up to $17,500) for teachers who are highly qualified, teach full-time in a low-income elementary or secondary school or educational service agency, and complete five years of consecutive service.
Specifically, the bill renames the program as the Educator Loan Forgiveness Programs.
Additionally, the bill expands the program by making additional loan types eligible for benefits under the program (e.g., Parent PLUS Loans).
Further, the bill expands program eligibility to early childhood educators and program directors serving in early childhood education programs and school leaders serving in public high-need schools.
The bill requires the Department of Education to
- make monthly student loan payments on behalf of the educator during qualifying service (i.e., employment as a full-time qualifying educator in a high-need school or an early childhood education program),
- provide complete loan forgiveness after five years of qualifying service (which does not have to be consecutive), and
- take steps to notify borrowers about changes to the program.
Cosponsors 17
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from May 19, 2026 to Oct 1, 2026; 10 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-MN | Angie Craig | Original | May 19, 2026 |
| D-DC | Eleanor Holmes Norton | Original | May 19, 2026 |
| D-CA | J. Luis Correa | Original | May 19, 2026 |
| D-CT | Jahana Hayes | Original | May 19, 2026 |
| D-IL | Jesús G. "Chuy" García | Original | May 19, 2026 |
| D-CA | Mark DeSaulnier | Original | May 19, 2026 |
| D-NM | Melanie A. Stansbury | Original | May 19, 2026 |
| D-CA | Salud O. Carbajal | Original | May 19, 2026 |
| D-CA | Scott H. Peters | Original | May 19, 2026 |
| D-OR | Suzanne Bonamici | Original | May 19, 2026 |
| D-CA | Lateefah Simon | May 21, 2026 | |
| D-MI | Rashida Tlaib | May 21, 2026 | |
| D-AZ | Adelita S. Grijalva | Jun 2, 2026 | |
| D-ME | Chellie Pingree | Jun 4, 2026 | |
| D-PA | Chrissy Houlahan | Jun 11, 2026 | |
| D-NJ | Robert Menendez | Aug 6, 2026 | |
| D-LA | Troy A. Carter | Oct 1, 2026 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Education and Workforce Committee | Referred May 19, 2026 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- May 19, 2026Introduced in House
- May 19, 2026Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 172, no. 85, May 19, 2026, page H3628.
Related bills 5
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 963 | Loan Forgiveness for Educators Act | Cross-Congress related bill | Mar 23, 2023 |
| HR 1757 | Loan Forgiveness for Educators Act | Cross-Congress related bill | Mar 23, 2023 |
| S 4567 | Loan Forgiveness for Educators Act of 2026 | Identical bill | May 19, 2026 |
| S 4867 | Loan Forgiveness for Educators Act of 2022 | Cross-Congress related bill | Sep 15, 2022 |
| HR 8856 | Loan Forgiveness for Educators Act of 2022 | Cross-Congress related bill | Sep 15, 2022 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide enhanced student loan relief to educators, and for other purposes.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- Loan Forgiveness for Educators Act of 2026
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Education.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- May 19, 2026Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
