April 2018


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Kaine-Whitehouse Bill To Help Forgive Student Loans For Public Service Workers Passes Congress


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Tim Kaine with constituents Jaylen Anderson and his grandmother in 2017. WASHINGTON, D.C. –


work.”


Included in the omnibus federal spending bill that cleared Congress recently was a version of a bill offered by Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) to fix a glitch in a federal loan forgiveness program that is leaving


teachers, soldiers, social


workers, and other public servants with massive loan balances they thought would be forgiven. provision will


The help to relieve


the financial burden for eligible middle-class families who sought to use the Public Service Loan Forgiveness


(PSLF) program,


which allows those pursuing public service careers to discharge student loan debt.


“Americans who honorably serve our communities


have


earned much-deserved relief from crushing student loan debt in return for their time and commitment. But unfortunately


because of


confusion around a provision in the program, we were at risk of breaking that promise to Virginia teachers, social workers, nurses, and military servicemembers. I’m glad the Senate heard our call and joined Senator Whitehouse and I in moving closer to righting that wrong today,” Kaine said.


“Congress created this


program so bright, talented people could use their college education for public service.


But a growing


number of them are finding, to their shock, that a glitch is keeping them from getting the relief they were promised. We need to fix that,” said Whitehouse.


“There’s more


to do, but I’m proud that a version of our legislation will help public servants continue their important


bipartisan loan forgiveness program in 2007 to


Congress established help


workers, military personnel, and other critical public service workers pursue sometimes


lower-paying


careers serving their communities without facing decades of crippling loan payments. The program allows borrowers to erase the balance of their


student debt if they spend


10 years working for a nonprofit or government employer while making qualifying payments.


Due


to a lack of consistent and clear guidance from loan servicers and complicated program requirements, some borrowers believe they


are


making qualifying payments under the program when they are not.


Kaine and Whitehouse’s bill would allow loan forgiveness for public


service borrowers who


ended up in the wrong repayment plan. If borrowers had been making payments that were as much as they would have paid on a qualifying repayment plan, they would receive full credit for those payments toward loan forgiveness.


The version of the legislation in the spending bill includes $350 million to help borrowers in this situation on a first-come, first-serve basis.


It would also require www.hr200plusmen.org the teachers, social


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the


Education Department to develop and make available a simple method for borrowers to apply for loan cancellation, and conduct outreach to help borrowers make use of the program.


Kaine and Whitehouse’s bill was endorsed by the National Education Association and the Federation of Teachers.


American


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