,,ii  #aagth ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,s4 #deha  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,july #ba1     
#bjbb,mr4 ,menendez introduced the      
following bill2 which was read twice and
 referred to the ,committee on ,health1 
,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions  ,a   
,,bill  ,to improve the public service  
loan forgiveness program under section  
#dee7m7 of the ,higher ,education ,act  
of #aife1 to improve loan forgiveness   
eligibility provisions under such ,act  
for teachers1 and for other purposes4   
#a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited
 as the ,second ,chance at ,public      
,service ,loan ,forgiveness ,act4  #b4  
,findings ,congress finds the following3
 7#a7 ,the public service loan          
forgiveness program under section       
#dee7m7 of the ,higher ,education ,act  
of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajhg;e7m77 was 
created in #bjjg to attract individuals 
to public service by forgiving an       
individual's ,federal loans under part  
,d of title ,,iv of the ,higher         

,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 
#ajga et seq42 #bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajhg;a et 
seq47 after #aj years of employment in  
areas of national need4  7#b7 ,these    
public service careers1 which include   
employment in military1 emergency       
management1 government1 public safety1  
law enforcement1 public health1         
education1 child care1 social work1     
services for individuals with           
disabilities1 services for the elderly1 
public interest legal services1 and     
library sciences1 pay substantially less
 than similar careers in the private    
sector4  7#c7 ,the public sector also   
repeatedly experiences workforce        
shortages1 especially following the     
,,covid-#ai pandemic4  7#d7 ,an         
undergraduate degree1 certification1 or 
advanced degree is a prerequisite to    
enter or advance in these public service
 careers4 ,yet1 research suggests that  
the prospect of several decades of      
student loan payments often deters      
individuals from pursuing careers in    

public service4  7#e7 ,the public       
service loan forgiveness program has    
substantially failed4 ,in #bjah1 #ii    
percent of the borrowers who applied for
 relief under the program were denied   
due to improper type of loans1          
employment1 or repayment plan1 or the   
number of payments that they had made4  
7#f7 ,advocates and enforcement         
agencies1 including #ch ,state          
,attorneys ,general and the ,bureau of  
,consumer ,financial ,protection1 have  
repeatedly found that all of the major  
,federal student loan servicers provided
 inaccurate information to borrowers who
 were interested in or relying upon the 
public service loan forgiveness program4
 ,they also found that servicers        
repeatedly steered borrowers away from  
public service loan forgiveness into    
higher monthly payments and into        
deferment and forbearances4  7#g7 ,this 
has caused millions of public servants  
irreparable economic harm1 including    
preventing them from buying a home1     

opening a small business1 starting a    
family1 or retiring1 because of their   
student debt4  7#h7 ,despite the recent 
actions of ,president ,biden's          
administration to improve the public    
service loan forgiveness program1 these 
actions are limited and will not fully  
atone for the repeated1 pervasive1 and  
systemic actions by ,federal student    
loan servicers to prevent public        
servants from fully benefitting from    
this program4  #c4 ,making forgiveness  
attainable for public sector workers    
,section #dee7m7 of the ,higher         
,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 
#ajhg;e7m77 is amended-- 7#a7 by        
striking paragraph 7#a7 and inserting   
the following3  7#a7 ,in general ,the   
,secretary shall cancel the balance of  
interest and principal due1 in          
accordance with paragraph 7#b71 on any  
eligible ,federal ,direct ,loan not in  
default for a borrower who-- 7,a7       
obtained an eligible ,federal ,direct   
,loan2 and  7,b7 has been employed      

full-time in public service1 beginning  
on or after ,january #a1 #aiid1 for a   
total period of #aj years or more after 
the date on which the first eligible    
,federal ,direct ,loan was obtained4  2 
7#b7 by redesignating paragraphs 7#c7   
and 7#d7 as paragraphs 7#e7 and 7#f71   
respectively2  7#c7 by inserting after  
paragraph 7#b7 the following3  7#c7     
,special rules relating to employment   
,for purposes of this subsection1       
volunteer service as an ,ameri,corps or 
,peace ,corps volunteer1 as described in
 subclause 7,,iii7 or 7,,iv7 of         
paragraph 7#e77;,c77i71 shall be deemed 
to be employment4  7#d7 ,special rule   
for certain loans and borrowers  7,a7   
,parent ,plus loans ,in the case of a   
borrower of an eligible ,federal ,direct
 ,loan that is on behalf of a student1  
any public service employment required  
under this subsection may be completed  
by the borrower or by the student on    
whose behalf the loan was made4  7,b7   
,special rules for ,federal ,direct     

,consolidation loans  7i7 ,in general ,a
 borrower who has obtained an eligible  
,federal ,direct ,loan that is a        
,federal ,direct ,consolidation ,loan   
that includes a loan made1 insured1 or  
guaranteed under part ,b or part ,e     
shall receive credit under paragraph    
7#a7 for any years of full-time         
employment in public service that       
occurred while the borrower had a       
component loan of the ,federal ,direct  
,consolidation ,loan4  7ii7 ,special    
rules for joint borrowers ,the          
,secretary shall allow the borrowers of 
a ,joint ,consolidation ,loan or a      
,joint ,direct ,consolidation ,loan who 
are employed in a public service job to 
consolidate such loan into a ,federal   
,direct ,consolidation ,loan in order to
 receive loan cancellation pursuant to  
this subsection4  2 and  7#d7 by        
striking paragraph 7#e71 as redesignated
 by paragraph 7#b71 and inserting the   
following3  7#e7 ,definitions ,in this  
subsection3 7,a7 ,eligible ,federal     

direct loan ,the term eligible ,federal 
,direct ,loan means a ,federal ,direct  
,stafford ,loan1 ,federal ,direct       
,unsubsidized ,loan1 ,federal ,direct   
,,plus ,loan 7including such loan made  
on behalf of a student71 or ,federal    
,direct ,consolidation ,loan4  7,b7     
,full-time ,the term full-time1 when    
used with respect to employment in      
public service1 means working in public 
service employment in one or more jobs  
for a total of-- 7i7 not less than #cj  
hours a week2  7ii7 in the case of any  
form of educational public service      
employment that is under a contract for 
not less than #h months1 not less than  
#cj hours per week during the contract  
period2 or  7iii7 in the case of        
employment as an adjunct1 contingent1 or
 part-time faculty member1 teacher1 or  
lecturer who is paid solely for the     
credit hours taught at an institution of
 higher education1 the equivalent of #cj
 hours per week determined by           
multiplying each credit or contract hour

 taught per week by #c4ce4  7,c7 ,public
 service  7i7 ,in general ,the term     
public service means-- 7,i7 employment  
with a qualifying employer described in 
clause 7i7 or 7ii7 of subparagraph 7,d72
  7,,ii7 employment with a qualifying   
employer described in subparagraph      
7,d77iii7 that-- 7aa7 provides direct   
services to the public through its      
employees2 and  7bb7 has devoted a      
majority of its full-time equivalent    
employees to working in not less than #a
 of the following areas3 7,,aa7 ,early  
childhood education programs4 7,,bb7    
,emergency management4 7,,cc7 ,law      
enforcement4 7,,dd7 ,military service4  
7,,ee7 ,other school-based services4    
7,,ff7 ,public education 7including     
higher education74 7,,gg7 ,public       
health4 7,,hh7 ,public interest law     
services4 7,,ii7 ,public library        
services4 7,,jj7 ,public safety4 7,,kk7 
,public services for individuals with   
disabilities or public services for the 
elderly4 7,,ll7 ,school library         

services2  7,,iii7 satisfactory service 
as a ,peace ,corps volunteer in         
accordance with section #e of the ,peace
 ,corps ,act 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #bejd72 or  
7,,iv7 successful service as a          
participant in a position described in  
section #abc of the ,national and       
,community ,service ,act of #aiij 7#db  
,u4,s4,c4 #abegc74  7ii7 ,additional    
definitions ,for purposes of clause 7i73
 7,i7 ,emergency management services    
,the term emergency management services 
means services that help remediate1     
lessen1 or eliminate the effects or     
potential effects of emergencies that   
threaten human life or health or real   
property4  7,,ii7 ,law enforcement ,the 
term law enforcement means services     
performed by an employee of a public    
service organization that is publicly   
funded and whose principal activities   
pertain to crime prevention1 control or 
reduction of crime1 or the enforcement  
of criminal law4  7,,iii7 ,military     
service ,the term military service means

 providing service to or on behalf of   
members1 veterans1 or the families or   
survivors of members or veterans of the 
,armed ,forces1 including the ,national 
,guard1 that is provided to a person    
because of the person's status in the   
,armed ,forces or ,national ,guard4     
7,,iv7 ,other school-based services ,the
 term other school-based services means 
an employee of a ,state1 or of any      
political division of a ,state1 or an   
employee of a nonprofit organization1   
who works in any grade from             
prekindergarten through grade #ab in any
 of the following occupational          
specialties3 7aa7 ,paraprofessional     
services1 including paraeducator        
services4  7bb7 ,clerical and           
administrative services4  7cc7          
,transportation services4  7dd7 ,food   
and nutrition services4  7ee7 ,custodial
 and maintenance services4  7ff7        
,security services4  7gg7 ,health and   
student services4  7hh7 ,technical      
services4  7ii7 ,skilled trades4  7,v7  

,public education ,the term public      
education means-- 7aa7 the provision of 
educational enrichment or support to    
students in a school or a school-like   
setting1 including teaching2 and  7bb7  
teaching as a full-time faculty member  
at a ,tribal ,college or ,university1 as
 defined in section #caf7;b71 and other 
faculty teaching in high-needs subject  
areas or areas of shortage 7including   
nurse faculty1 foreign language faculty1
 and part-time faculty at community     
colleges71 as determined by the         
,secretary4  7,,vi7 ,the term public    
health means-- 7aa7 services provided by
 physicians1 nurses 7including nurses in
 a clinical setting71 and nurse         
practitioners2 and  7bb7 services       
provided by health care practitioner    
occupations1 health care support        
occupations1 and counselors1 social     
workers1 and other community and social 
service specialist occupations1 as those
 terms are defined by the ,bureau of    
,labor ,statistics4  7,,vii7 ,the term  

public interest law means legal services
 or legal advocacy provided by a        
nonprofit organization1 but excludes    
services provided by individuals who are
 registered lobbyists at the ,federal1  
,state1 or local level4  7,,viii7 ,the  
term public library services means the  
operation of public libraries or        
services that support their operation4  
7,,ix7 ,the term public safety services 
means services that seek to prevent the 
need for emergency management services4 
7,x7 ,the term public services for      
individuals with disabilities means     
services performed for1 or to assist1   
individuals with disabilities 7as       
defined in section #c of the ,americans 
with ,disabilities ,act of #aiij 7#db   
,u4,s4,c4 #abajb77 that is provided to  
an individual because of the            
individual's status as an individual    
with a disability4  7,,xi7 ,the term    
public service for the elderly means    
services that are provided to           
individuals who are aged #ei4e years or 

older and that are provided to an       
individual because of the individual's  
status as an individual of that age1    
including services related to retirement
 plans1 pensions1 social security1      
retiree health plans1 or ,medicaid4     
7,,xii7 ,the term school library        
services means the operations of school 
libraries or services that support their
 operation4  7,d7 ,qualifying employer  
,the term qualifying employer means--   
7i7 a ,federal1 ,state1 ,tribal1 local1 
intergovernmental1 or regional          
governmental organization1 agency1 or   
entity based or headquartered in the    
,united ,states1 including the ,armed   
,forces1 ,national ,guard1 ,merchant    
,marines1 or ,coast ,guard2  7ii7 a     
nonprofit organization that is qualified
 under section #eja7;c77#c7 of the      
,internal ,revenue ,code of #aihf2 or   
7iii7 a nonprofit organization that is  
qualified under section #eja7;a7 of such
 ,code1 with respect to an employee in  
public service employment4  4  #d4 ,loan

 forgiveness for teachers ,the ,higher  
,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 
#ajja et seq47 is amended-- 7#a7 in     
section #dbh;,j7g77#b7 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4   
#ajgh-aj7;g77#b77-- 7,a7 in subparagraph
 7,a71 by inserting or after the        
semicolon at the end2  7,b7 by striking 
subparagraph 7,b72 and  7,c7 by         
redesignating subparagraph 7,c7 as      
subparagraph 7,b72  7#b7 in paragraph   
7#g7 of section #dee7m7 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4  
#ajhg;e7m771 as amended by section      
#c7b71 by striking both this subsection 
and section #dbh;,j1 #dbh,k1 #dbh,l1 or 
#dfj and inserting both this subsection 
and section #dbh,k or #dbh,l2 and  7#c7 
in section #dfj7;g77#b7 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4  
#ajhg;j7g77#b77-- 7,a7 in subparagraph  
7,a71 by inserting or after the         
semicolon at the end2  7,b7 by striking 
subparagraph 7,b72 and  7,c7 by         
redesignating subparagraph 7,c7 as      
subparagraph 7,b74