New York Senate Bill S09174

New York 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/10/26
• Refer: 2/10/26

Caption

Increases the amount of credit to be certified under the federal public service loan forgiveness program for faculty or teachers to five hours worked for each hour of lecture or classroom time.

Summary

This bill amends the Labor Law provision governing how public service employers certify employment for faculty or teacher employees for purposes of the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. Under current law, lecture or classroom time is credited at 3.35 hours worked for each hour of lecture or classroom instruction; the bill increases that conversion factor to 5 hours for each hour of lecture or classroom time. The change applies to certifications made after the bill’s effective date, but it also expressly covers lecture or classroom hours worked before that date. The bill is aimed at recognizing the additional, non-classroom work associated with teaching and at allowing faculty and teachers to qualify more readily for PSLF by increasing the amount of credited service time. It does not override any higher adjustment factor already provided by a collective bargaining agreement or employer policy, so more generous arrangements would remain in place. The act would take effect immediately.

Impact

The bill would amend subdivision 1 of section 1001 of the New York Labor Law, changing the statutory crediting formula used by public service employers when certifying faculty or teacher employment for PSLF purposes. In practical terms, it would increase the number of certified work hours attributed to lecture or classroom instruction, which could help more educators meet federal PSLF full-time employment requirements sooner or with fewer actual hours worked. The measure affects public service employers, faculty, teachers, and borrowers seeking federal student loan forgiveness, while preserving any greater crediting rules established by collective bargaining agreements or employer policies.

Sentiment

No committee transcript or vote record is available, so there is no documented debate or recorded sentiment from legislative proceedings. Based on the bill text and caption, the measure appears supportive of educators and student loan borrowers, with a policy rationale centered on easing access to federal loan forgiveness for teaching professionals. The absence of opposition or recorded votes means the overall legislative sentiment cannot be assessed beyond the bill’s pro-educator framing.

Contention

The main potential point of contention is the increased crediting multiplier itself: some may view moving from 3.35 to 5 hours per classroom hour as a substantial expansion of PSLF eligibility for teachers, with possible implications for employer certification practices and the scope of state recognition of instructional work. Another possible issue is whether the revised formula should apply retroactively to hours worked before the effective date, though the bill expressly says it does. The bill also preserves stronger collective bargaining or employer policy provisions, which may reduce conflict where existing agreements already provide more favorable treatment.