S. 1928 would amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to authorize funds for grant programs at the Department of Education (ED). Those grants provide scholarships for postsecondary students who agree to teach in schools that meet certain criteria, such as those with a significant number of Native American students. The bill also would authorize grants for teacher training programs on Native American languages and for support to educators who are Native American or teach Native Americans and are working to obtain teacher certification or other credentials. Finally, S. 1928 would expand forgiveness of federal student loans for certain elementary and secondary school teachers.
CBO estimates that implementing the legislation would cost $236 million over the 2017-2021 period, assuming appropriation of the necessary amounts. In addition, CBO estimates that enacting the provisions to expand loan forgiveness would increase direct spending by $280 million over the 2017-2021 period and $390 million over the 2017-2026 period; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures apply. Enacting S. 1928 would not affect revenues.
CBO estimates that enacting the legislation would not increase net direct spending or on-budget deficits by more than $5 billion in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2027.
S. 1928 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA).