[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 51 (Thursday, March 18, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E276]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           INTRODUCTION OF THE CONSIDER TEACHERS ACT OF 2021

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 18, 2021

  Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, today, I rise to introduce the Consider 
Teachers Act of 2021, which would improve the service obligation 
verification process for Teacher Education Assistance for College and 
Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program recipients. The Senate passed a 
version of this bill last Congress, and Senators Mike Braun and Kyrsten 
Sinema are introducing the Consider Teachers Act of 2021 today.
  The TEACH Grant Program was created by the federal government in 2007 
to attract the best and brightest to the teaching profession in 
underserved communities. The TEACH Grant Program provides up to $4,000 
a year in grants to students who agree to serve for at least four years 
as a full-time teacher in a high-need field in a public or private 
elementary or secondary school that serves low-income families. The 
obligation to teach four years must be completed within an eight-year 
period. Those who do not fulfill their service requirement but have 
been given grants have their grants converted into Federal Direct 
Unsubsidized Stafford Loans, which must be paid back with interest. 
These loans cannot revert to grants.
  According to the Office of Management and Budget, 66 percent of the 
grants are converted into loans. Though 21,000 recipients have 
completed the program without conversion, 94,000 recipients have had 
their grants converted to loans. Those conversions are often triggered 
by small paperwork issues, such as submitting the annual form one day 
late or missing a date or signature.
  In 2018, the U.S. Department of Education (Department) released a 
reconsideration process for recipients who had their grants converted 
into loans but had either fulfilled, or could still fulfill, their 
teaching requirements. The Department also turned back the clock to 
allow teachers who left the TEACH Grant Program once their grants were 
converted to give them more time to complete their requirements. These 
changes allowed the Department to lift the debt of 2,300 recipients.
  This bill would codify this reconsideration process and mandate that 
the Department continue to implement it, creating a safeguard from 
changes in Department leadership. This bill would also outline yearly 
deadlines and notification requirements to rectify some of the TEACH 
Grant Program's previous administrative mishaps. Furthermore, with the 
onset of the coronavirus pandemic, many recipients have had trouble 
finding qualifying work. This bill would create a grace period for 
these individuals by extending the fulfillment period by three years 
for anyone who was fulfilling their obligations when the coronavirus 
pandemic began.
  This past year has given us all a hard lesson in the invaluable 
service that teachers and educators provide to our society. As many 
young students have turned to homeschooling and remote learning, we 
have all come to appreciate the hard work and incredible talent of our 
teachers, who foster the mental, physical and emotional growth of our 
children every day. This bill ensures that that pipeline of talent for 
the teaching profession remains strong and that we do not unduly burden 
TEACH Program recipients, who have dedicated themselves to serving our 
most vulnerable communities.
  I strongly urge my colleagues to support this bill.