Key Points
- The Public Service Educational Assistance Act would cover tuition, fees, and books for up to four years at public colleges for dependents of public servants with 20 years of full-time service.
- Teachers, police officers, firefighters, EMTs, and social workers would qualify, and dependents must be under 26 and attend school where they get in-state tuition.
- The bill has a Republican cosponsor and police union support, but it carries no funding, and it dies if Congress doesn’t act before January 3, 2027.
Rep. Shomari Figures (D-AL) introduced the Public Service Educational Assistance Act (H.R. 10551) on September 24, 2026. The bill would pay for tuition, fees, and books for up to four academic years for the dependents of public employees who complete at least 20 years of qualifying service.
It works like a civilian version of the GI Bill benefits that military families use for college, though the sponsors don’t make that comparison themselves.
Figures announced the bill with Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), Rep. Jahana Hayes (D-CT), and Rep. Mike Ezell (R-MS). A Senate version (S. 5566) was introduced the same day. Booker said the goal is that the children of these workers “can go to college without drowning in debt.”
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Why It Matters
Four years of in-state tuition and fees at a public four-year college costs about $47,800 at today’s prices. The College Board puts 2025-26 in-state tuition and fees at $11,950 a year, up 2.9% from the prior year. That’s before books, which the bill would also cover, and before housing, which it wouldn’t.
Our breakdown of the average cost of college in 2026 shows housing and food often cost more than tuition at public schools.
The number of potential beneficiaries is large. The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts about 3.2 million elementary, middle, and high school teachers, plus roughly 824,200 police officers. Those totals include private-sector workers, so the eligible group would be smaller.
Many of these same workers already rely on Public Service Loan Forgiveness for their own student loans, and this bill would effectively extend a benefit to the next generation.
How The Benefit Would Work
The bill text (PDF File) sets out these rules, which differ in several ways from the Post-9/11 GI Bill’s transfer rules:
- Who earns it: Full-time public employees (40 or more hours a week) with 20 years of service, counted in total rather than consecutively. Eligible fields include first responders, public K-12 educators, and government-employed social workers in mental health and child welfare.
- Timing of service: The worker must be serving when the law takes effect or join afterward. Public servants who retired before enactment appear to be left out.
- Who receives it: A dependent under age 26, using the tax code’s definition of a dependent with the age limit raised from 19 to 26.
- What it pays: Tuition, fees, and books, with no dollar cap, for up to four academic years.
- Where it applies: Public colleges and public training programs that lead to a recognized credential, in a state where the student qualifies for in-state tuition. Private colleges are excluded.
- Other aid: Students could receive the benefit alongside Pell Grants and federal loans, and the benefit would be exempt from federal income tax.
The in-state rule matters for families near a border. A student who wants a flagship across state lines would lose the benefit, which reinforces the math in our look at why out-of-state colleges cost families thousands more.
| Rule | Public Service Act (Proposed) | Post-9/11 GI Bill Transfer |
|---|---|---|
| Who Earns It | Teachers, first responders, government social workers | Military service members |
| Service Required | 20 years of full-time public service | 6 years, plus agreement to serve 4 more |
| Who Can Use It | Dependents under 26 | Spouse or children under 26 |
| What It Covers | Tuition, fees, and books | Tuition, housing allowance, and books |
| Length | Up to 4 academic years | Up to 36 months |
| Eligible Schools | In-state public colleges and training programs | Public and private schools |
| Status | Proposed | Current law |
Who Would Benefit Most?
Families where one parent has a long public-sector career, and a child plans on a public college or trade program, would gain the most. The bill covers training programs that lead to a credential, so it would also pay for programs at public technical colleges.
That mirrors how 529 plans now cover trade schools and certificate programs. A student at a public community college could stretch the benefit further, since in-district tuition averaged $4,150 in 2025-26.
The 20-year bar is high, and it rules out a lot of teachers who have children younger. A teacher who starts at 25 reaches 20 years at 45, when many children are already in college or close to it. The age-26 cap on dependents means some long-serving workers would hit the service mark after their kids age out.
Families in that spot should still look at state tuition waivers and loan forgiveness programs, several of which target teachers and first responders.
The bill also differs from existing state programs. Alabama’s Police Officers’ and Firefighters’ Survivors Educational Assistance Program pays only when a parent dies in the line of duty. H.R. 10551 would reward a long career instead, and that’s closer to the state benefits for military dependents that many states already offer.
How This Connects
Congress has spent the last two years cutting federal borrowing limits, and the changes to college financial aid put more pressure on families to cover costs without loans.
Recruitment is the other argument. The Fraternal Order of Police endorsed H.R. 10551 in an October 1 letter, saying the bill would help officers stay in the profession during “a critical recruitment and retention crisis.” The International Association of Fire Fighters and the National Association of Social Workers also back the bill, according to Figures’ office.
What’s Next
H.R. 10551 went to the House Education and Workforce Committee and to the Ways and Means Committee, which handles the tax exemption. The bill has no authorization of appropriations, so it doesn’t say how the benefit would be paid for or what it would cost.
With midterm elections on November 3 and only weeks left in the 119th Congress, the bill would have to be reintroduced in 2027 if it doesn’t move. Watch for a Congressional Budget Office cost estimate and more Republican cosponsors.
In the meantime, teachers and first responders can lower their own costs through the student loan forgiveness programs open to public servants.
Editor: Colin Graves
Robert Farrington is the founder of The College Investor and is widely recognized as one of the nation’s leading voices on student loan debt and saving for college. He holds an MBA from UC San Diego Rady School of Management and has spent over 15 years researching, writing, and advising on student loans, 529 plans, financial aid programs, and saving and investing for young professionals.
Robert has been featured in the The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, NBC News, and Forbes, where he has been a regular personal finance contributor for over a decade. His work combines both professional expertise and personal experience – he successfully navigated his own student loan repayment journey and has helped thousands of readers do the same.
He is committed to making the intersection of personal finance and education transparent and accessible. You can learn more about Robert on the About Page or on his personal site RobertFarrington.com.