,,ii  #aafth ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,s4 #cedc  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,march #ai1    
#bjbj,mr4 ,tester introduced the        
following bill2 which was read twice and
 referred to the ,committee on ,health1 
,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions  ,a   
,,bill  ,to amend the public service    
loan forgiveness program under the      
,higher ,education ,act of #aife to     
waive the requirement that a borrower   
make a monthly payment during a month   
for which there is a qualifying         
emergency in the ,state in which the    
borrower is employed4  #a4 ,short title 
,this ,act may be cited as the ,public  
,service ,loan ,forgiveness ,protection 
,act4  #b4 ,waiver for public service   
loan forgiveness payments during        
qualifying emergency ,section #dee7m7 of
 the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife   
7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajhg;e7m77 is amended-- 
7#a7 in paragraph 7#a71 by striking ,the
 ,secretary and inserting ,except as    
provided under paragraph 7#e71 the      

,secretary2 and  7#b7 by adding at the  
end the following3  7#e7 ,waiver for    
payments during qualifying emergency    
7,a7 ,qualifying emergency ,the term    
qualifying emergency means-- 7i7 a      
public health emergency declared by the 
,secretary of ,health and ,human        
,services pursuant to section #cai of   
the ,public ,health ,service ,act 7#db  
,u4,s4,c4 #bdg;d72  7ii7 an emergency   
for which a ,governor of a ,state or    
territory has declared a state of       
emergency2  7iii7 an event for which the
 ,president declared a major disaster or
 an emergency under section #dja or     
#eja1 respectively1 of the ,robert ,t4  
,stafford ,disaster ,relief and         
,emergency ,assistance ,act 7#db        
,u4,s4,c4 #eagj and #eaia72 or  7iv7 a  
national emergency declared by the      
,president under section #bja of the    
,national ,emergencies ,act 7#ej        
,u4,s4,c4 #afba74  7,b7 ,waiver ,the    
,secretary may waive the requirement    
under paragraph 7#a7 that a borrower    

make a monthly payment during a month   
for which there is a qualifying         
emergency in the ,state in which the    
borrower is employed4 ,a failure to make
 a monthly payment pursuant to such     
waiver shall not disqualify such        
borrower from receiving loan            
cancellation pursuant to this           
subsection4  4