HR 8896 119th Congress House Education

Loan Forgiveness for Educators Act of 2026

Introduced: May 19, 2026 Introduced by: Leger Fernandez, Teresa Democratic · New Mexico See on congress.gov

Everywhere this bill has been 2 steps

Introduced

In committee

Reported out

Passed House

Passed Senate

To President

Became law

May 19, 2026

Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.

May 19, 2026

Introduced in House

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Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

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.

What's happening now May 19, 2026

Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.

Related & companion bills 5

Bill text 1 version

Introduced in House Formatted Text PDF Formatted XML

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

Committees of jurisdiction 1

Education and Workforce Committee
House of Representatives

Lobbying activity 5

Registered lobbyists who named this bill in their disclosure filings. Source: federal Lobbying Disclosure Act filings.

NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION
for NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION · District of Columbia · 2nd Quarter (Apr 1 - June 30) 2026
ALLIANCE FOR EXCELLENT EDUCATION
for ALLIANCE FOR EXCELLENT EDUCATION · District of Columbia · 2nd Quarter (Apr 1 - June 30) 2026
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PRINCIPALS (NAESP)
for NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PRINCIPALS (NAESP) · Virginia · 2nd Quarter (Apr 1 - June 30) 2026
ACTE
for ACTE · Virginia · 2nd Quarter (Apr 1 - June 30) 2026
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR MUSIC EDUCATION
for NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR MUSIC EDUCATION · Virginia · 2nd Quarter (Apr 1 - June 30) 2026

Cosponsors 16

Menendez, Robert

New Jersey · Aug 6, 2026

Houlahan, Chrissy

Pennsylvania · Jun 11, 2026

Pingree, Chellie

Maine · Jun 4, 2026

Grijalva, Adelita S.

Arizona · Jun 2, 2026

Simon, Lateefah

California · May 21, 2026

Tlaib, Rashida

Michigan · May 21, 2026

Bonamici, Suzanne

Oregon · May 19, 2026

Carbajal, Salud O.

California · May 19, 2026

Correa, J. Luis

California · May 19, 2026

Craig, Angie

Minnesota · May 19, 2026

DeSaulnier, Mark

California · May 19, 2026

García, Jesús G. "Chuy"

Illinois · May 19, 2026

Hayes, Jahana

Connecticut · May 19, 2026

Norton, Eleanor Holmes

District of Columbia · May 19, 2026

Peters, Scott H.

California · May 19, 2026

Stansbury, Melanie A.

New Mexico · May 19, 2026

Cite this page click to expand

APA

U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 8896: Loan Forgiveness for Educators Act of 2026. 119th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/119-HR-8896/

MLA

"H.R. 8896: Loan Forgiveness for Educators Act of 2026." 119th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/119-HR-8896/.

Bluebook (legal)

H.R. 8896, 119th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/119-HR-8896/.

Markdown link

[H.R. 8896: Loan Forgiveness for Educators Act of 2026](https://openamerica.io/bill/119-HR-8896/)