Federal cybersecurity program sweetens loan forgiveness, extends service commitment
H.R. 494 — To amend the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2014 to make improvements to the Federal Cyber Scholarship for Service Program, and for other purposes. · Filed by Gerald Connolly (D-VA) · 1 cosponsor · Introduced Jan 16, 2025 · Referred to committee
Your members of Congress
Enter a ZIP to see where your representative and both senators stood on this bill.
Looked up on this device — your ZIP is never stored on our servers.
What it does
This bill extends the Federal Cyber Scholarship for Service Program's service obligation from 3 years to 5 years, and clarifies that the program can forgive the full amount of federal student loans (including Stafford loans) without being limited by other federal loan-forgiveness caps or regulations. The changes make the scholarship more attractive by requiring longer service but removing barriers to complete loan forgiveness.
Why we flagged it
The bill's operative mechanism is to extend a federal scholarship program's service obligation and remove caps on loan forgiveness for participants. This is a targeted workforce-development measure designed to attract talent to federal cybersecurity roles.
What the text implies
- Extending service obligation to 5 years may reduce program appeal to candidates with competing job offers or family constraints, potentially offsetting the loan-forgiveness benefit.
- Removing 'other limitations' on loan forgiveness may create tension with other federal loan-forgiveness programs (PSLF, REPAYE) if participants are eligible for multiple programs simultaneously.
The full analysis lists 3 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
Federal cybersecurity workforce participants (individuals with federal student loans)