{"bill":{"id":"119-hr-8896","congress":119,"type":"HR","number":8896,"title":"Loan Forgiveness for Educators Act of 2026","originChamber":"House","introducedDate":"2026-05-19","sponsors":[{"bioguideId":"L000273","fullName":"Rep. Leger Fernandez, Teresa [D-NM-3]","party":"D","state":"NM","district":3}],"cosponsorsCount":17,"latestAction":{"actionDate":"2026-05-19","text":"Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce."},"policyArea":"Education","subjects":[],"actions":[{"date":"2026-05-19","text":"Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.","type":"IntroReferral","chamber":"House floor actions","hasVote":false},{"date":"2026-05-19","text":"Introduced in House","type":"IntroReferral","chamber":"Library of Congress","hasVote":false},{"date":"2026-05-19","text":"Introduced in House","type":"IntroReferral","chamber":"Library of Congress","hasVote":false}],"summary":"<p><strong>Loan Forgiveness for Educators Act of 2026</strong></p><p>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.</p><p>Specifically, the bill renames the program as the Educator Loan Forgiveness Programs.</p><p>Additionally, the bill expands the program by making additional loan types eligible for benefits under the program (e.g., Parent PLUS Loans).</p><p>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.</p><p>The bill requires the Department of Education to</p><ul><li>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),</li><li>provide complete loan forgiveness after five years of qualifying service (which does not have to be consecutive), and</li><li>take steps to notify borrowers about changes to the program.</li></ul>","updateDate":"2026-10-02T08:06:15Z"},"markets":[],"stateBills":[],"meta":{"sources":["congress.gov"],"latencyMs":316,"ts":"2026-10-13T23:48:52.131Z"},"nextActions":{"inspect":[],"related":[{"description":"Search related legislation","method":"GET","url":"https://simplefunctions.dev/api/public/query-gov?q=Loan%20Forgiveness%20for%20Educators%20Act%20of%202026"}]}}