PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Congressional Research Service
No official summary is available in the imported record yet.
People & committees
Rep. Figures, Shomari [D-AL-2] · D–AL
Legislative record
A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.
Referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Oct 20, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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Analyze H.R.10551 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2026-09-24 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
This bill proposes education assistance for dependents of qualifying first responders, public education employees, and government mental health or child welfare workers with at least 20 total years of qualifying service. It would cover tuition, fees, and books for up to four academic years at eligible public colleges or training programs in a state where the dependent qualifies for in-state tuition. The proposed law would take effect one year after enactment.
The Secretary shall establish a Public Service Educational Assistance Program to provide educational assistance to each dependent of each public service employee who, on or after the effective date of this Act, has at least 20 years of service as a public service employee, in the aggregate, and who was a public service employee on the date of enactment of this Act, or began service as a public service employee after the date of enactment of this Act.
(1) shall be in an amount that covers the cost of tuition, fees, and books for a program of study at an applicable postsecondary educational institution located in a State where a dependent is eligible to receive in-State tuition; and (2) may be provided for not longer than 4 academic years.
(8) Public service employee The term public service employee means an employee who works full-time— (A) as a first responder; (B) as an educator or teacher; or (C) as a social worker.
(3) Educator or teacher The term educator or teacher means an individual who is not an elected official and who is employed at a public elementary school, a public secondary school, a public school system, a State educational agency, or a local educational agency.
(1) Applicable postsecondary educational institution The term applicable postsecondary educational institution means— (A) a public institution of higher education; or (B) a public education or training program that leads to a recognized postsecondary credential.
(11) Social worker The term social worker means an employee of a government entity that provides mental health services or child welfare services.
This Act shall take effect on the date that is 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act.
Section 1 would name the proposed law the Public Service Educational Assistance Act.
This Act may be cited as the Public Service Educational Assistance Act.
The Secretary of Education would have to establish the program. An employee would need at least 20 total years of qualifying service on or after the law's effective date and must either be a qualifying employee on the enactment date or begin qualifying service afterward.
The Secretary shall establish a Public Service Educational Assistance Program to provide educational assistance to each dependent of each public service employee who, on or after the effective date of this Act, has at least 20 years of service as a public service employee, in the aggregate, and who was a public service employee on the date of enactment of this Act, or began service as a public service employee after the date of enactment of this Act.
(10) Secretary The term Secretary means the Secretary of Education.
Qualifying employment would be limited to the bill's definitions of first responder, educator or teacher, and social worker. Employees would have to work at least 40 hours in a workweek.
(6) Full-time The term full-time means an employee who is employed at least 40 hours in a workweek.
(8) Public service employee The term public service employee means an employee who works full-time— (A) as a first responder; (B) as an educator or teacher; or (C) as a social worker.
The first-responder definition includes law enforcement officers, firefighters, government prosecutorial agency employees, public defenders, public safety telecommunicators such as 911 operators and fire dispatchers, emergency medical services members, Federal Emergency Management Agency employees, state, local, or tribal emergency management agency employees, and Department of Energy nuclear couriers or emergency response team members.
(5) First responder The term first responder includes a law enforcement officer or firefighter, including— (A) an employee of a government prosecutorial agency or a public defender; (B) a public safety telecommunicator, including a 911 operator or a fire dispatcher; (C) an emergency medical services member; (D) an employee of the Federal Emergency Management Agency; (E) an employee of a State, local, or tribal emergency management agency; or (F) a Department of Energy nuclear courier or emergency response team member.
The educator or teacher definition covers employees of public elementary or secondary schools, public school systems, and state or local educational agencies, excluding elected officials. The bill incorporates school and educational-agency definitions from section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965; those underlying definitions are not supplied. The social-worker definition covers employees of government entities that provide mental health or child welfare services.
(3) Educator or teacher The term educator or teacher means an individual who is not an elected official and who is employed at a public elementary school, a public secondary school, a public school system, a State educational agency, or a local educational agency.
(4) Elementary school; local educational agency; secondary school; State educational agency The terms elementary school; local educational agency; secondary school; State educational agency have the meanings given such terms in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).
(11) Social worker The term social worker means an employee of a government entity that provides mental health services or child welfare services.
Dependent eligibility would use section 152 of the Internal Revenue Code, with two changes for this program: substitute 26 for 19 in subsection (c)(3)(A)(i) and disregard subsection (c)(3)(A)(ii). The bill does not reproduce the underlying rules, so this language alone does not establish every dependent-eligibility requirement.
(2) Dependent The term dependent has the meaning given such term in section 152 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (determined by substituting 26 for 19 in subsection (c)(3)(A)(i) thereof and without regard to subsection (c)(3)(A)(ii) thereof).
Assistance would cover tuition, fees, and books for no more than four academic years. The institution would have to be in a state where the dependent qualifies for in-state tuition.
(b) Educational assistance Educational assistance provided to a dependent under this Act— (1) shall be in an amount that covers the cost of tuition, fees, and books for a program of study at an applicable postsecondary educational institution located in a State where a dependent is eligible to receive in-State tuition; and (2) may be provided for not longer than 4 academic years.
Eligible study would be at a public higher education institution or a public education or training program leading to a recognized postsecondary credential. The bill incorporates definitions from other federal laws to determine which higher education institutions and credentials qualify. Those underlying definitions are not supplied, so their precise scope cannot be established from this text alone.
(1) Applicable postsecondary educational institution The term applicable postsecondary educational institution means— (A) a public institution of higher education; or (B) a public education or training program that leads to a recognized postsecondary credential.
(7) Institution of higher education The term institution of higher education has the meaning given such term in section 102 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002).
(9) Recognized postsecondary credential The term recognized postsecondary credential has the meaning given such term in section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102).
Dependents could receive this assistance at the same time as other federal student aid, including federal grants and loans, and other federal, state, or local postsecondary education benefits.
(a) Concurrent benefits A dependent may receive educational assistance under this Act concurrently with other forms of Federal student aid, including grants and loans under title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070 et seq.), and other postsecondary education benefits under Federal, State, and local law.
Assistance would not count as wages or compensation when determining eligibility for, or the amount of, retirement and other employment-related benefits, unless another law provides otherwise.
(b) No effect on retirement or other benefits Educational assistance provided under this Act shall not be considered wages or compensation for purposes of determining eligibility for, or the amount of, any retirement or other employment-related benefit, except as otherwise provided by law.
Assistance would be exempt from taxation under the federal Internal Revenue Code.
(c) Tax treatment Educational assistance provided under this Act shall be exempt from taxation under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.
The Secretary of Education would have to issue regulations needed to carry out the proposed law.
The Secretary shall promulgate such regulations as are necessary to carry out this Act.
(10) Secretary The term Secretary means the Secretary of Education.
The proposed law would take effect one year after enactment; the text does not set a fixed calendar start date or specify when assistance payments would begin.
This Act shall take effect on the date that is 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act.
The supplied actions snapshot, updated October 20, 2026, records introduction in the House on September 24, 2026, and referral that day to the Education and Workforce and Ways and Means committees for provisions within their respective jurisdictions.
Source snapshot updated 2026-10-20T08:05:30Z.
2026-09-24: Introduced in House
2026-09-24: Referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2026-09-24. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provision or policy change attached to appropriations was identified after reviewing the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials, or an amendment's attachment history.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No congressionally directed spending for particular recipients or places was identified after reviewing the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials. The supplied materials do not establish formal earmark status.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
None identified in the reviewed text
No materially narrow carve-out, special exemption, or preferential exception warranting a separate finding was identified after reviewing the complete supplied introduced text. Ordinary program eligibility and benefits for intended beneficiaries were not treated as separate targeted benefits. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Oct 20, 2026. How PlainBill uses AI