Van Hollen, Luján, Leger Fernández, Hayes Introduce Legislation to Expand Federal Loan Forgiveness for Educators

Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) joined Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) alongside U.S. Representatives Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.) and Jahana Hayes (D-Conn.) in co-sponsoring the Loan Forgiveness for Educators Act of 2022 to expand the federal Teacher Loan Forgiveness program. The bill helps address educator shortages across the country and increases children's access to a diverse and well-prepared educator workforce.

The Loan Forgiveness for Educators Act of 2022 updates the Teacher Loan Forgiveness program by having the federal government make the monthly federal student loan payments for educators serving in early childhood education programs and high-need public schools and completely forgive any outstanding debt after five years of service. The legislation ensures that in addition to teachers, school leaders and early childhood education educators can access these benefits. It would also allow service under this program to concurrently count toward the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. These changes will help to recruit and retain more educators and ensure more diverse candidates can afford comprehensive educator preparation programs, a key strategy to decrease shortages and help increase educator diversity in early childhood and K-12 education.

A list of 50 organizations that endorsed the Loan Forgiveness for Educators Act of 2022 can be found HERE.

A summary of the bill can be found HERE. Full text of the bill is available HERE.