Bill · H.R. 954· House(119-HR-954)
SOAR Permanent Authorization Act
- Introduced
- 2/4/2025
- Last activity
- 2/4/2025 — Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
- Sponsored by
- John Moolenaar
- Cosponsors
- None
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The SOAR Permanent Authorization Act seeks to amend the Scholarships for Opportunity and Results Act. It modifies accreditation requirements for certain entities and changes how standardized testing is handled. The bill also expands the scope of student assistance to include tutoring services. Additionally, it alters the frequency and standards for program evaluations. Finally, it creates a permanent authorization for a higher yearly appropriation.
Yes· 3 of 7
Would children be better off under this?+5
The bill expands academic assistance to include tutoring services for eligible students.
Would households on low incomes be better off under this?+5
The bill prioritizes tutoring services for students who previously attended low-performing schools.
Would students be better off under this?+5
The bill adds student academic assistance via tutoring services to the existing scholarship program.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Increased Financial Support for Tutoring: The bill adds "Student Academic Assistance" to the program and provides funds for tutoring services for eligible students needing academic assistance. Under Section 2(b)(1)(C), priority for these services is given to students who previously attended low-performing schools.
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Higher Annual Funding: The bill increases the authorized appropriation from $60,000,000 to $75,000,000 for fiscal year 2024 and succeeding years. According to Section 2(e), this establishes a permanent authorization for this higher amount.
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Expanded Accreditation Options: Section 2(a) modifies the accreditation requirements to include accrediting bodies recognized by the Student and Visitor Exchange English Language Program administered by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Changes to Evaluation Standards: Section 2(d) changes the frequency of evaluations from "annually" to "regularly" and modifies the metrics used to assess the program's impact to focus on academic progress and educational attainment.
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Changes to Testing Requirements: Section 2(c) modifies how the Institute of Education Sciences administers assessments and changes the language regarding the specific standardized tests used in evaluations.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Children+5Good For Low Income Households+5Good For Students+5Good For Young Adults+4
- Economy And Finance
- Improves Fiscal Responsibility+5
- Education And Technology
- Improves College Affordability+4
- Social Issues And Justice
- Improves Poverty Reduction+3
- 2/4/2025
- Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
- Introduced in House