Bill Details
HR.954 - 119th Congress
Status
Latest action
2025-02-04 - Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
Introduced Date
2025-02-04
Policy Area
Education
Committees
View committees (1)
7
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AI Summary This summary was generated by AI from the bill text. AI can get information wrong.
This bill would make permanent the federal funding for the District of Columbia scholarship program that helps eligible students attend private schools, while also changing some of the program rules. It would raise the annual funding amount, expand support for tutoring, update which schools can count for accreditation purposes, and change how the program is tested and evaluated. The goal is to keep the program running without a future expiration date and to measure its results in a broader, more flexible way.
- It would permanently authorize funding for the program at $75 million a year, starting in fiscal year 2024 and every year after that.
- It would raise the amount available for student and parent assistance and add funding for tutoring for students who need extra academic help. If there is not enough money for all students, priority would go to students who came from the lowest-performing schools.
- It would change the school accreditation rule so participating schools can qualify if they are fully accredited by a recognized accrediting body in Washington, D.C., or one recognized by a federal English language program used by immigration officials.
- It would update the program’s testing and evaluation rules by allowing broader use of standardized tests and requiring reviews that look at academic progress, educational attainment, graduation rates, college enrollment and completion, and school safety.
Official Summaries
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Current Full Text
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 954 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 954
To amend the Scholarships for Opportunity and Results Act with respect
to certain funding, testing, and evaluation requirements and to
permanently authorize an appropriation for such Act.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 4, 2025
Mr. Moolenaar introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Scholarships for Opportunity and Results Act with respect
to certain funding, testing, and evaluation requirements and to
permanently authorize an appropriation for such Act.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``SOAR Permanent Authorization Act''.
SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS TO SCHOLARSHIPS FOR OPPORTUNITY AND RESULTS ACT.
(a) Change in Accreditation Requirements.--Section
3007(a)(5)(A)(i)(I) of the Scholarships for Opportunity and Results Act
(sec. 38-1853.07(a)(5)(A)(i)(I), D.C. Official Code) is amended to read
as follows:
``(I) is fully accredited by an
accrediting body with jurisdiction in
the District of Columbia or that is
recognized by the Student and Visitor
Exchange English Language Program
administered by U.S. Immigration and
Customs Enforcement; or''.
(b) Removal of Student Academic Assistance Limit.--
(1) In general.--Section 3007(b) of such Act (sec. 38-
1853.07 (b), D.C. Official Code) is amended--
(A) in the header, by striking ``and Parental
Assistance'' and inserting ``, Parental Assistance, and
Student Academic Assistance'';
(B) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by
striking ``$2,000,000'' and inserting ``$2,200,000'';
and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
``(3) The expenses of providing tutoring service to
participating eligible students that need additional academic
assistance. If there are insufficient funds to provide tutoring
services to all such students in a year, the eligible entity
shall give priority in such year to students who previously
attended an elementary school or secondary school identified as
one of the lowest-performing schools under the District of
Columbia's accountability system.''.
(2) Conforming amendments.--Section 3007 of such Act (sec.
38-1853.07, D.C. Official Code) is amended--
(A) by striking subsection (c) and redesignating
subsection (d) as subsection (c); and
(B) in subsection (c), as so redesignated by
paragraph (A)--
(i) in paragraph (2)(B), by striking
``subsections (b) and (c)'' and inserting
``subsection (b)''; and
(ii) in paragraph (3), by striking
``subsections (b) and (c)'' and inserting
``subsection (b)''.
(c) Change in Standardized Testing Requirements.--Section 3008(h)
of such Act (sec. 38-1853.08(h), D.C. Official Code) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``section
3009(a)(2)(A)(i)'' and inserting ``section 3009(a)'';
(2) by amending paragraph (2) to read as follows:
``(2) Administration of tests.--The Institute of Education
Sciences may administer assessments to students participating
in the evaluation under section 3009(a) for the purpose of
conducting the evaluation under such section.''; and
(3) in paragraph (3), by striking ``the nationally norm-
referenced standardized test described in paragraph (2)'' and
inserting ``a nationally norm-referenced standardized test''.
(d) Change in Evaluation Frequency and Standards.--Section 3009(a)
of such Act (sec. 38-1853.09(a), D.C. Official Code) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (1)(A), by striking ``annually'' and
inserting ``regularly'';
(2) in paragraph (2)--
(A) by amending subparagraph (A)(i) to read as
follows:
``(i) is rigorous; and''; and
(B) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``impact of
the program'' and all that follows through the end of
the subparagraph and inserting ``impact of the program
on academic progress and educational attainment.'';
(3) in paragraph (3)--
(A) in the header, by striking ``on education'' and
inserting ``of education'';
(B) in subparagraph (A)--
(i) by inserting ``the academic progress
of'' after ``assess''; and
(ii) by striking ``in each of grades 3''
and all that follows through the end of the
subparagraph and inserting ``; and'';
(C) by striking subparagraph (B); and
(D) by redesignating subparagraph (C) as
subparagraph (B); and
(4) in paragraph (4)--
(A) in subparagraph (A)--
(i) by striking ``A comparison of the
academic achievement of participating eligible
students who use an opportunity scholarship on
the measurements described in paragraph (3)(B)
to the academic achievement'' and inserting
``The academic progress of participating
eligible students who use an opportunity
scholarship compared to the academic
progress''; and
(ii) by inserting ``, which may include
students'' after ``students with similar
backgrounds'';
(B) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``increasing
the satisfaction of such parents and students with
their choice'' and inserting ``those parents' and
students' satisfaction with the program'';
(C) by striking subparagraphs (D) through (F) and
inserting the following:
``(D) The high school graduation rates, college
enrollment rates, college persistence rates, and
college graduation rates of participating eligible
students who use an opportunity scholarship compared
with the rates of public school students described in
subparagraph (A), to the extent practicable.
``(E) The college enrollment rates, college
persistence rates, and college graduation rates of
students who participated in the program as the result
of winning the Opportunity Scholarship Program lottery
compared to the enrollment, persistence, and graduation
rates for students who entered but did not win such
lottery and who, as a result, served as the control
group for previous evaluations of the program under
this division. Nothing in this subparagraph may be
construed to waive section 3004(a)(3)(A)(iii) with
respect to any such student.
``(F) The safety of the schools attended by
participating eligible students who use an opportunity
scholarship compared with the schools attended by
public school students described in subparagraph (A),
to the extent practicable.''; and
(D) in subparagraph (G), by striking
``achievement'' and inserting ``progress''.
(e) Permanent Authorization of Appropriation.--Section 3014 of such
Act (sec. 38-1853.14, D.C. Official Code) is amended--
(1) in subsection (a), by striking ``$60,000,000 for fiscal
year 2012 and for each fiscal year through fiscal year 2023''
and inserting ``$75,000,000 for fiscal year 2024 and for each
succeeding fiscal year''; and
(2) in subsection (b), by striking ``$60,000,000'' and
inserting ``$75,000,000''.
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