SPELL Act

Supporting Providers of English Language Learning Act or the SPELL Act

This bill allows teachers of English language learners to take advantage of certain student loan forgiveness and loan cancellation programs.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4389 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4389

To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide additional amounts 
  of loan forgiveness to teachers of English learners, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 18, 2019

Mr. Langevin (for himself, Mr. Espaillat, and Mr. Grijalva) introduced 
 the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education 
                               and Labor

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide additional amounts 
  of loan forgiveness to teachers of English learners, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Supporting Providers of English 
Language Learning Act'' or the ``SPELL Act''.

SEC. 2. TEACHERS OF ENGLISH LEARNERS.

    (a) Loan Forgiveness for Teachers.--Section 428J(c)(3) of the 
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1078-10(c)(3)) is amended--
            (1) in the paragraph heading by striking ``mathematics, 
        science, or special education'' and inserting ``mathematics, 
        science, special education, or english language education'';
            (2) in subparagraph (A)(ii) by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (3) in subparagraph (B)(iii) by striking the period at the 
        end and inserting ``; and''; and
            (4) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(C) an elementary school or secondary school 
                teacher--
                            ``(i) who meets the requirements of 
                        subsection (b);
                            ``(ii) whose qualifying employment for 
                        purposes of such subsection is as a teacher of 
                        English learners (as that term is defined in 
                        section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary 
                        Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801)) whose 
                        primary responsibility is to teach such 
                        learners; and
                            ``(iii) who, as certified by the chief 
                        administrative officer of the public or non-
                        profit private elementary school or secondary 
                        school in which the borrower is employed, or, 
                        in the case of a teacher who is employed by an 
                        educational service agency, as certified by the 
                        chief administrative officer of such agency, is 
                        teaching English learners who correspond with 
                        the borrower's training and has demonstrated 
                        knowledge and teaching skills in the content 
                        areas of the elementary school or secondary 
                        school curriculum that the borrower is 
                        teaching.''.
    (b) Loan Cancellation for Teachers.--Section 460(c)(3) of the 
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087j(c)(3)) is amended--
            (1) in the paragraph heading by striking ``mathematics, 
        science, or special education'' and inserting ``mathematics, 
        science, special education, or english language education'';
            (2) in subparagraph (A)(ii) by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (3) in subparagraph (B)(iii) by striking the period at the 
        end and inserting ``; and''; and
            (4) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(C) an elementary school or secondary school 
                teacher--
                            ``(i) who meets the requirements of 
                        subsection (b);
                            ``(ii) whose qualifying employment for 
                        purposes of such subsection is as a teacher of 
                        English learners (as that term is defined in 
                        section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary 
                        Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801)) whose 
                        primary responsibility is to teach such 
                        learners; and
                            ``(iii) who, as certified by the chief 
                        administrative officer of the public or non-
                        profit private elementary school or secondary 
                        school in which the borrower is employed, or, 
                        in the case of a teacher who is employed by an 
                        educational service agency, as certified by the 
                        chief administrative officer of such agency, is 
                        teaching English learners who correspond with 
                        the borrower's training and has demonstrated 
                        knowledge and teaching skills in the content 
                        areas of the elementary school or secondary 
                        school curriculum that the borrower is 
                        teaching.''.

SEC. 3. APPLICABILITY.

    The amendments made by section 1 shall take effect on the date of 
the enactment of this Act and shall apply with respect to individuals 
who are eligible to receive teacher loan forgiveness under section 428J 
of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1078-10) or teacher loan 
cancellation under section 460 of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1087j) after such 
date.
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