The Public Service Educational Assistance Act (H.R. 10551) was unveiled on September 24, 2026 by Rep. Shomari Figures (D-AL). Modeled after the military’s Post-9/11 GI Bill the proposal would finance tuition, mandatory fees and required textbooks for up to four academic years at any public four-year college. The benefit would flow to the dependents—defined by the tax code as children under 26—of full-time public employees who have completed at least 20 years of service.
Supporters argue that the measure would shield the families of teachers, police officers, firefighters, emergency medical technicians and government-employed social workers from the mounting burden of higher-education costs. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), Rep. Jahana Hayes (D-CT) and Rep. Mike Ezell (R-MS) joined Figures for the announcement, emphasizing that the children of these workers should be able to “go to college without drowning in debt.” A Senate companion (S. 5566) was introduced the same day, and the Fraternal Order of Police publicly endorsed the bill in early October.
Eligibility rules and scope of the benefit
To qualify, a public employee must work a minimum of 40 hours per week and accrue 20 years of qualifying service, whether those years are consecutive or not. The bill does not cover retirees who left the workforce before the law takes effect; only those still serving—or who join after enactment—are eligible. Eligible occupations are limited to K-12 educators, first-response personnel (police, fire, EMT) and state-funded social-work positions in mental-health or child-welfare agencies.
The child receiving the aid must be under 26, meet the tax-code definition of a dependent, and enroll in a public college or an accredited training program that leads to a recognized credential. The institution must be one where the student qualifies for in-state tuition; private colleges and out-of-state public schools are excluded. The assistance pays for tuition, mandatory fees and the cost of required books, with no dollar cap, and can be combined with Pell Grants or federal student loans. Importantly, the benefit is exempt from federal income tax.
Financial impact and potential reach
According to the College Board, the average in-state tuition and fees for a public four-year college in the 2025-26 academic year were $11,950. Multiplying that figure by four years yields roughly $47,800—an amount the bill would cover in full for qualifying dependents. Housing and meals, which often exceed tuition costs, remain the responsibility of the student and family.
The pool of possible beneficiaries is sizable. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports about 3.2 million elementary, middle and high-school teachers and roughly 824,200 police officers nationwide, though these counts include private-sector workers. Even after trimming the figures to only full-time, 20-year public servants, the number of eligible families would be in the high-hundreds of thousands. Many of these workers already rely on the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program for their own student debt; this bill would extend a comparable benefit to the next generation.
While the measure enjoys bipartisan backing and endorsement from major police and firefighters’ unions, it contains no authorization of appropriations—meaning Congress has not identified a funding source. The bill now resides in the House Education and Workforce Committee and the Ways and Means Committee, the latter handling the tax-exempt status. If legislation does not pass before the January 3, 2027 deadline, the proposal will expire and must be re-introduced in the next Congress.
Midterm elections on November 3, 2026 could shift the balance of power, influencing the bill’s chances. Analysts anticipate a forthcoming Congressional Budget Office cost estimate and the possibility of additional Republican cosponsors to broaden appeal. Until the bill moves forward, teachers and first-responders can continue to explore existing loan-forgiveness programs and state tuition-waiver initiatives.
