# 119-hr-2829: SERVICE Act

119-hr-2829, SERVICE Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Courtney, Joe [D-CT-2] (D-CT); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2829
- As of: 2026-09-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-2829
- Congress: 119
- Title: SERVICE Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-04-10
- Sponsor: Rep. Courtney, Joe [D-CT-2] (D-CT)
- Cosponsors: 6
- Policy area: Education
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-21

## Summary

**Major overhaul of Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) rules.** It would redraw how qualifying payments are counted, expand who counts as public service, and create buyback and online tools to track progress toward forgiveness. - Public service borrowers: It would require 96 qualifying monthly payments counted only for months after October 1, 2007 when the borrower was employed in public service during each month of the 96-payment period. It clarifies which repayment plans and certain deferment or forbearance periods count toward those payments. - Non-traditional workers: The bill explicitly expands eligibility to include independent contractors and refines the definition of full-time public service work to cover more nontraditional employment arrangements. - Practical fixes and appeal rights: Borrowers could make excess prepayments that apply to future months under set rules, convert past nonqualifying months into qualifying ones through a buyback payment, and use an online portal with electronic forms. An initial denial would trigger a 90-day forbearance and a formal reconsideration process, with hold-harmless protection for previously counted payments. - Program changes and oversight: It would adjust consolidation and teacher forgiveness rules to match the new framework and require a Government Accountability Office study on data matching for PSLF determinations.

## Cosponsors (6)

- Rep. DeSaulnier, Mark [D-CA-10] (D-CA), 2025-04-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Jacobs, Sara [D-CA-51] (D-CA), 2025-12-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Salinas, Andrea [D-OR-6] (D-OR), 2025-12-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Crockett, Jasmine [D-TX-30] (D-TX), 2026-02-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Larson, John B. [D-CT-1] (D-CT), 2026-03-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Thanedar, Shri [D-MI-13] (D-MI), 2026-05-13T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Buy back past months toward forgiveness: benefit, high. If enacted, you could make a lump-sum buyback to turn past public service months into qualifying payments. You would need at least 96 months in a public service job but fewer than 96 qualifying payments. The buyback would equal what you would have paid under a qualifying plan for those months. Loan…
- New rules for Public Service Loan Forgiveness: benefit, high. If enacted, Public Service Loan Forgiveness would require 96 qualifying monthly payments made after Oct 1, 2007. You would need to work in public service during each of those months, but not at the moment of cancellation. More payment types and certain deferments or forbearances would count, and in…
- 90-day pause and faster appeals: benefit, medium. If enacted, if your forgiveness application is denied, you would get a 90‑day forbearance starting on the denial date. During that pause, you would not need to pay, and unpaid interest could not be added to your principal. You could ask for reconsideration within 90 days, and the Department would d…
- Public service jobs and loan portal: benefit, medium. If enacted, the government would launch an online borrower portal and a public, searchable list of public service jobs. The portal would show your eligible Direct Loans, how many qualifying payments you have, and an estimate of how many remain. It would provide clear instructions, e-forms, and empl…
- Rules for extra student loan payments: benefit, medium. If enacted, extra amounts you pay in a qualifying month would first cover the next month and up to three months total. Any money left after that would go to principal. If your amount due is $0, your extra would go straight to principal. You could also ask up front to send any extra straight to prin…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act
- 119-hr-7853: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026
- 119-hr-6900: American Affordability Act of 2025
- 119-hr-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-2829 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/2829)

## Related
- [119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9877)
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7977)
- [119-hr-7853: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7853)
- [119-hr-6900: American Affordability Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6900)
- [119-hr-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-51)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2829 (as of 2026-09-21).