119-hr954

[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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