HEROES Act
Sponsored By: Representative Goldman, Daniel S. [D-NY-10]
Introduced
Summary
Counts volunteer firefighters and volunteer EMT service toward Public Service Loan Forgiveness. This bill would allow qualified volunteer first responders to have their volunteer time treated as qualifying full-time public service for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, subject to Education Department rules on minimum hours and verification.
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- Volunteer firefighters and volunteer emergency medical technicians who meet the bill's definitions and are not full-time employees of the same organization could have their volunteer service counted as qualifying PSLF time.
- State, local, and tribal agencies and nonprofit public safety organizations would be consulted on the rules and may be asked to help track and verify volunteer hours.
- The Secretary of Education would set a minimum volunteer time required to count as full-time service and create a process for tracking and verifying service. The minimum could not be less than the time needed to be an active member of the organization.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
1 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Loan relief for volunteer firefighters and emergency medical technicians
If enacted, volunteer firefighters and volunteer emergency medical technicians could count their service toward Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF). You must have qualifying federal student loans and serve for a recognized fire department, ambulance service, health facility, or other public safety group. You could not be a full-time employee of that same organization. The Education Department would set the minimum volunteer time that counts as full-time and how to track and verify it; that minimum could not be below the group’s “active member” requirement. This would take effect upon enactment.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Goldman, Daniel S. [D-NY-10]
NY • D
Cosponsors
Rep. Fields, Cleo [D-LA-6]
LA • D
Sponsored 5/1/2025
Riley (NY)
NY • D
Sponsored 6/6/2025
Rep. Bynum, Janelle S. [D-OR-5]
OR • D
Sponsored 6/9/2025
Rep. Lawler, Michael [R-NY-17]
NY • R
Sponsored 4/20/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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