J. Correa

Loan Forgiveness for Educators Act of 2026

This bill expands loan forgiveness for educators by revising the Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program. The program provides loan forgiveness (up to $17,500) for teachers who are highly qualified, teach full-time in a low-income elementary or secondary school or educational service agency, and complete five years of consecutive service.

Specifically, the bill renames the program as the Educator Loan Forgiveness Programs.

Additionally, the bill expands the program by making additional loan types eligible for benefits under the program (e.g., Parent PLUS Loans).

Further, the bill expands program eligibility to early childhood educators and program directors serving in early childhood education programs and school leaders serving in public high-need schools.

The bill requires the Department of Education to

• make monthly student loan payments on behalf of the educator during qualifying service (i.e., employment as a full-time qualifying educator in a high-need school or an early childhood education program),

• provide complete loan forgiveness after five years of qualifying service (which does not have to be consecutive), and

• take steps to notify borrowers about changes to the program.

Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Reauthorization Act of 2026

This act reauthorizes through FY2031 and revises programs that support research and development of drugs and other therapies to address amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease) and other neurodegenerative diseases.

The act reauthorizes

• grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for scientific research on investigational drugs to prevent or treat ALS for individuals not otherwise eligible for clinical trials,

• grants from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for research and development of therapies to prevent and treat ALS and other neurodegenerative diseases, and

• a Public-Private Partnership including the FDA and NIH that supports development and regulatory review of treatments for neurodegenerative diseases.

Also, the NIH, in considering renewal of its grants, must assess available information on the safety and efficacy of the investigational drugs. It must also require grantees to promptly report serious and unexpected adverse events associated with their investigational drugs.

Additionally, the FDA must publish a plan describing actions it will take over a five-year period to foster development of safe and effective drugs, and facilitate access to investigational drugs, that treat ALS and other rare neurodegenerative diseases. The FDA must also publish a report describing the actions it has taken under the plan.

This resolution recognizes the significance of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month as an important time to celebrate the significant contributions of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders to the history of the United States.

Faster Labor Contracts Act

This bill establishes mandatory deadlines for parties negotiating an initial collective bargaining agreement (CBA) and provides for mediation and arbitration to finalize CBAs.

Under the bill, CBA negotiations must begin within 10 days after an employer receives a written request from a newly recognized or certified bargaining representative. The bill provides that parties must make every reasonable effort to conclude and sign a CBA. Further, the bill provides that, if the parties have not reached an agreement after 90 days, either party may request mediation by the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS). The bill directs FMCS to use its best efforts to secure an agreement.

If mediation does not result in an agreement within 30 days (or an additional period agreed to by both parties), FMSC must refer the parties to an arbitration panel to render a decision settling the dispute. The panel must consider specified factors, including the employer's financial prospects and employees' cost of living. The resulting CBA is binding on the parties for two years. (Parties may agree to amend the terms during the two-year period.)

The bill specifies that (1) an employer must maintain current wages, hours, terms, and conditions of employment during negotiations; and (2) an employer's duty to collectively bargain continues even if a representative has been decertified.

The Government Accountability Office must report to Congress regarding the average number of days between the certification or recognition of a bargaining representative and the date the initial CBA was executed.

Measuring Illicit Fentanyl Trafficking Act

This bill requires the components of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) engaged in the detection, deterrence, and seizure of fentanyl to collaborate and share relevant information and data with each other. The bill also requires DHS to establish performance metrics related to the detection, deterrence, and seizure of fentanyl for DHS and its components.