Committee advances bill to help adjunct and other public‑service educators qualify for federal loan forgiveness

The Senate Education Committee recommended House Bill 69 do pass after testimony supporting expanded access to federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) for adjunct, contingent and other public‑service educators.

Representative Garrett presented the bill (the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Multiplier Act) and described changes intended to help non‑tenure‑track, adjunct and contingent faculty qualify for PSLF by ensuring their out‑of‑class preparation and related work count toward the hours‑worked threshold. The bill would require employers — particularly higher education institutions — to apply a multiplier to classroom credit hours (the sponsor proposed a multiplier of 4.35) to approximate total work time for PSLF calculations, require timely employer certification of employment, and mandate employer outreach so eligible workers are informed of PSLF benefits.

Witnesses from the American Federation of Teachers New Mexico, New Mexico Federation of Labor and NEA New Mexico testified in support. John Durchin (AFT) and John Lipschutz (Federation of Labor) said the measure addresses a common administrative barrier that has left many public‑service workers ineligible for forgiveness despite years of qualifying service. An expert noted that prior federal practice allowed multipliers to account for prep time but that implementation and employer certification were inconsistent.

The committee voted to recommend the bill pass. The clerk recorded the roll call and the chair announced a do‑pass recommendation for HB 69; the committee followed with recorded votes and the sponsor was congratulated on the do‑pass recommendation.

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Proponents urged prompt passage to expand access for adjunct faculty and other public‑service employees; the bill’s effect depends on federal PSLF rules and employer certification practices.