Bill · S. 2451· Senate(119-S-2451)
Pay Paraprofessionals and Support Staff Act
- Introduced
- 7/24/2025
- Last activity
- 7/24/2025 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
- Sponsored by
- Edward Markey
- Cosponsors
- - 10 - 0
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The Pay Paraprofessionals and Support Staff Act aims to ensure that education support staff and paraprofessionals receive a living wage. It establishes minimum salary requirements for full-time equivalent employees and minimum wage requirements for part-time staff. These minimums are determined by each State and are required to increase alongside employee experience. The bill provides for significant federal funding through grants awarded to States to meet these salary goals. States must submit applications including timelines to ensure all staff meet these requirements within four years.
Yes· 3 of 7
Does this put more money into public schools?+9
The bill provides massive federal funding through grants to help states pay school staff higher wages.
Does this raise the lowest wage an employer may pay?+8
The bill establishes specific minimum salary and hourly wage requirements for education support staff.
Would households on low incomes be better off under this?+6
The bill prioritizes funding for local educational agencies that serve a high number of students from low-income backgrounds.
The opposite
Does this reduce what the federal government spends?-5
The bill authorizes significant federal spending through $25 billion in grants to states.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Increased earnings for full-time staff: The bill establishes a minimum salary for full-time equivalent employees, set at $45,000 for fiscal years 2026 through 2030 (Section 2(a)(3)).
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Increased earnings for part-time staff: The bill establishes a minimum wage for part-time equivalent staff, set at $30.00 an hour for fiscal years 2026 through 2030 (Section 2(a)(4)).
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Protection against inflation: Salary and wage growth is indexed to the Consumer Price Index or a minimum of 2 percent to ensure pay keeps up with rising costs (Section 2(a)(3) and Section 2(a)(4)).
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Recognition of experience: The required minimum pay must increase as the experience of the school staff increases (Section 2(a)(3) and Section 2(a)(4)).
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Professional growth opportunities: Subgrant funds can be used to provide staff with opportunities for professional development, credentials, or certifications (Section 2(g)(2)(B)(ii)).
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Support for high-need areas: The bill encourages states to provide substantial subgrant allocations to local educational agencies that serve a high number of students from low-income backgrounds (Section 2(e)(3)(A)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- No negative impacts are explicitly stated in the provided text.
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 Low Income Households+6Good For Union Workers+5Good For Middle Class Households+4Good For Urban Residents+3
- Education And Technology
- Increases Public School Funding+9
- Social Issues And Justice
- Improves Poverty Reduction+5
- Economy And Finance
- Increases Minimum Wage+8Reduces Government Spending-5
- 6/11/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 4/21/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 10/9/2025
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 10/8/2025
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 7/28/2025
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 7/24/2025
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
- 6 Cosponsors added.
- Introduced in Senate
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Angela AlsobrooksDemocrat · Maryland
Kirsten GillibrandDemocrat · New York
Mazie HironoDemocrat · Hawaii
Andy KimDemocrat · New Jersey
Ben LujánDemocrat · New Mexico
Christopher MurphyDemocrat · Connecticut
Jeff MerkleyDemocrat · Oregon
Alex PadillaDemocrat · California
Bernie SandersIndependent · Vermont
Peter WelchDemocrat · Vermont
Elizabeth WarrenDemocrat · Massachusetts