The Public Service Loan Forgiveness Inclusion Act of 2026 modifies federal student loan rules to make it easier for borrowers in public service jobs to qualify for debt cancellation. The bill changes how qualifying monthly payments are counted by allowing the first 60 payments to count regardless of their amount, while requiring subsequent payments to meet a specific minimum threshold based on a standard 10-year repayment schedule. It also expands eligibility to include payments made under the standard repayment plan and counts months where repayment was suspended due to administrative forbearance as qualifying payments if the borrower remained employed in public service. The Department of Education is required to notify affected borrowers about these changes within 180 days of enactment, with the new payment counting rules applying to those who have not yet made 120 monthly payments.
The Restoring Opportunity for Advanced Education Act amends the Higher Education Act to permanently restore access to Federal Direct PLUS Loans for graduate and professional students. By removing specific time limits and expiration dates from the law, the bill ensures that these loans remain available without a set end date. This change directly affects graduate and professional students who rely on this funding source for their advanced education.
The Earn to Learn Act establishes a federal demonstration grant program that provides low-income students with matched savings accounts to help pay for postsecondary education. Under this mechanism, states or nonprofit organizations receive grants to match student contributions at a rate of $8 for every $100 deposited, while also providing financial literacy training and success coaching. The bill explicitly ensures that participation in the program does not reduce a student's eligibility for Federal Pell Grants or other federal student aid. It authorizes $100 million annually for five years to fund these grants, which are capped at $10 million per recipient, and requires the Department of Education to report on the program's impact on savings rates and educational retention.
The SIMPLE Act requires the Department of Education to automatically enroll borrowers who are at least 75 days delinquent on federal student loans into the income-driven repayment plan that offers them the lowest monthly payment. To facilitate this, the bill authorizes the use of IRS tax return data to determine a borrower's income and family size without requiring additional action from the borrower, provided they have approved such disclosure or are applying for loan rehabilitation. The legislation also establishes specific notification procedures at 31 days of delinquency and mandates that borrowers rehabilitating defaulted loans be placed in the most favorable repayment plan after making their ninth required payment. These automatic enrollment provisions take effect on July 1, 2028, while changes allowing borrowers to switch between repayment plans become effective immediately upon enactment.
The Back-to-School Supplies Affordability Act would prevent new tariffs from being applied to specific school supplies and educational materials, effectively freezing their import duties at levels recorded on January 19, 2025. This measure directly affects students, families, teachers, schools, and local governments by aiming to keep the cost of items like notebooks, backpacks, pencils, and keyboards stable. The bill designates certain products for duty exemption based on specific trade classifications or through regulations issued by the Secretary of Commerce in coordination with the Secretary of Education. Additionally, it requires the Secretary of Commerce to report every 180 days to congressional committees on which items are exempt, while allowing Congress to disapprove specific item designations through a joint resolution.
The Improving Access to Higher Education Act requires all institutions of higher education to establish an Office of Accessibility responsible for informing students about their rights, providing accommodations, and accepting specific documentation like Individualized Education Programs to verify disability status. The bill authorizes competitive grants for colleges to train faculty in accessible teaching methods and to create inclusive programs that lead to degrees or credentials for students with intellectual disabilities. Additionally, it establishes an independent commission to develop guidelines for accessible electronic instructional materials and creates a National Technical Assistance Center to provide resources and technical support to both students and educational institutions.
The NEAUX PROS Act prohibits colleges that receive federal student aid from allowing individuals who hold active professional sports contracts to compete in intercollegiate athletics in the same sport. To enforce this rule, the bill conditions continued eligibility for Title IV federal funding on institutions ensuring they do not permit such dual participation, with violations subject to standard financial aid enforcement actions like suspension or termination of funds. The legislation also creates a new federal criminal offense for athletics officials who knowingly recruit or sign professional athletes, carrying penalties of up to five years in prison, or ten years if the act was done for financial gain or as part of a pattern. Individuals may avoid being classified as professional athletes by rescinding their contracts in writing before receiving any compensation or providing athletic services under those agreements.
The Head Start Expansion and Improvement Act of 2026 broadens eligibility for early childhood education services by including recipients of various public assistance programs, such as food stamps and Medicaid, in the definition of qualifying families. The bill authorizes $36 billion annually from fiscal years 2027 through 2032 to support these expanded operations and creates a separate grant program providing $1 billion per year until 2030 for agencies to repair or upgrade aging facilities with safety hazards. Additionally, the legislation establishes a loan forgiveness program that cancels federal student loans for childcare workers who complete three years of full-time service in Head Start or Early Head Start programs. Finally, it authorizes $6.8 billion annually through 2032 to provide salary supplements to Head Start employees, with funding allocated based on local wage gaps and cost-of-living factors.
Michigan House Bill 6291 establishes a new "medical education debt stabilization for students program" administered by the state's higher education loan authority. The bill authorizes loans specifically for residents enrolled in graduate-level medical, nursing, or physician assistant programs within Michigan who are training in high-demand specialties such as family practice, internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics, psychiatry, and emergency medicine. To be eligible, applicants must have already exhausted the maximum aggregate limit of federal student loans authorized under the Higher Education Act of 1965. This program aims to provide additional financial support to medical trainees in these specific fields who can no longer access further federal borrowing.
This measure would recognize the month of October each year as Student Financial Aid Awareness Month, and that it is important to increase student participation in financial aid programs to ensure that students receive clear, timely, and accessible information about application requirements, deadlines, and available resources.
