Workers in public service have the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program at their disposal which could help wipe away student debt, but many struggle to apply. A bill in the Washington state Legislature aims to fix it.
The Public Service Loan Forgiveness program erases student debt for public servants after they make 10 years of payments, and was streamlined by the Biden administration last year.
Tessa Bowen, an administrative assistant at Highline College in the Seattle suburb of Des Moines, had $90,000 in debt when she graduated from college, which was difficult to pay off while she worked in education.
“Those are just some of the lowest-paying public service jobs that there are here in Washington,” Bowen pointed out. “Because of that and being a single mom for part of that time, I don’t have $600 to spend a month on the minimum payment for student loans.”
Bowen shared it has been hard to find correct information on the loan-forgiveness program. Senate Bill 5847 has passed the Senate and was referred to Appropriations in the House Thursday.
Seamus Petrie, legislative specialist for the Washington Public Employees Association, said the bill would require the state to provide basic information on navigating the loan-forgiveness program, noting borrowers have found the process frustrating. It also requires annual updates and provides new employees with information within 30 days of starting a job in the public sector.
“It’s going to provide a centralized, reliable source of information to public employees so that they know how to qualify for the program and know what resources are available,” Petrie explained.
The bill would also ensure part-time faculty qualify for the program by calculating the hours they work outside the classroom.
Bowen argued the bill is an easy way for the state to get the same information out to public service workers.
“We tend to be underappreciated, undervalued, and often taken for granted,” Bowen contended. “I just feel like the more bills like this one come out, the more light it sheds on the things that we do without asking for a lot in return.”
Eric Tegethoff is a journalist covering the Northwest. Eric has worked as a reporter for KBOO, XRAY FM, and Oregon Public Broadcasting in Portland, Oregon, as well as other print and digital news media. In 2012, Eric traveled to North Dakota to write about the Bakken region oil boom. He’s also worked at a movie theater, as a campaign canvasser and quality assurance at a milk packaging factory. Eric is originally from Orlando, Florida. He graduated from the University of Florida in 2010.
The above article was provided by Washington News Service. The Auburn Examiner has not independently verified its content.
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