# 119-hr-8896: Loan Forgiveness for Educators Act of 2026

119-hr-8896, Loan Forgiveness for Educators Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Leger Fernandez, Teresa [D-NM-3] (D-NM); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-03).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8896
- As of: 2026-10-03
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-8896
- Congress: 119
- Title: Loan Forgiveness for Educators Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-05-19
- Sponsor: Rep. Leger Fernandez, Teresa [D-NM-3] (D-NM)
- Cosponsors: 17
- Policy area: Education
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-10-03

## Summary

**This bill would establish new Educator Loan Forgiveness Programs that provide 100 percent loan forgiveness after five years of qualifying service.** It would also cancel monthly portions of covered loans while educators work in eligible high-need schools and qualifying early childhood programs and stop interest from accruing during that service. - Educators: Teachers, school leaders, and early childhood staff in high-need schools or eligible programs would get monthly loan reductions while employed and full cancellation of covered loans, interest, and fees after five years. Service can be consecutive or nonconsecutive and promotions in the same school still count toward the five-year total. - Parent borrowers and families: Parent PLUS loans would qualify if issued for a student who is a qualifying educator or if the parent is a qualifying educator and meets program rules. - Access and protections: The Education Secretary would make applications and certification pathways available, publish an annual list of high-need schools and programs, allow certain self-certifications for standalone early childhood providers, require outreach to borrowers, and bar repayment demands for educators who leave mid-year or receive overlapping forgiveness benefits.

## Cosponsors (17)

- Rep. Carter, Troy A. [D-LA-2] (D-LA), 2026-10-01T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Hayes, Jahana [D-CT-5] (D-CT), 2026-05-19T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Craig, Angie [D-MN-2] (D-MN), 2026-05-19T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Stansbury, Melanie A. [D-NM-1] (D-NM), 2026-05-19T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. García, Jesús G. "Chuy" [D-IL-4] (D-IL), 2026-05-19T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Bonamici, Suzanne [D-OR-1] (D-OR), 2026-05-19T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Peters, Scott H. [D-CA-50] (D-CA), 2026-05-19T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Carbajal, Salud O. [D-CA-24] (D-CA), 2026-05-19T00:00:00.000Z
- Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] (D-DC), 2026-05-19T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. DeSaulnier, Mark [D-CA-10] (D-CA), 2026-05-19T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Correa, J. Luis [D-CA-46] (D-CA), 2026-05-19T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Simon, Lateefah [D-CA-12] (D-CA), 2026-05-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI-12] (D-MI), 2026-05-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Grijalva, Adelita S. [D-AZ-7] (D-AZ), 2026-06-02T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Pingree, Chellie [D-ME-1] (D-ME), 2026-06-04T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Houlahan, Chrissy [D-PA-6] (D-PA), 2026-06-11T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Menendez, Robert [D-NJ-8] (D-NJ), 2026-08-06T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- More loan relief for educators: benefit, high. If enacted, you could have 100% of your covered federal student loans canceled after five years of qualifying work as an educator. While you perform qualifying service after the Department starts the program, the Department would assume each month’s minimum payment and interest on Direct Loans woul…
- Who counts and how to apply: benefit, low. If enacted, more educator types would be able to qualify, including many teachers, school leaders, early childhood staff, and language instructors for Alaska Native, American Indian, and Native Hawaiian languages even if they lack full state or tribal licensure. Part of a school or program year cou…
- Faster rulemaking, less negotiation: mixed, low. If enacted, the Secretary of Education would be allowed to skip negotiated rulemaking when making rules to implement this bill. This could speed up program setup and changes, but it would reduce formal negotiated input from stakeholders.

## Related bills

- 119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act
- 119-hr-2086: Rights for the TSA Workforce Act
- 119-hr-4206: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025
- 119-hr-15: Equality Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-8896 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/8896)

## 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-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-51)
- [119-hr-2086: Rights for the TSA Workforce Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2086)
- [119-hr-4206: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4206)
- [119-hr-15: Equality Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-15)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8896 (as of 2026-10-03).