WeVote
Log In

Bill

Bill

S 343

Informed Consent to COVID 19 Vaccine

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Richard Cash and 6 co-sponsors

Make Title I Part A and IDEA funding mandatory with fixed targets through 2035, boosting aid to high-poverty students and those with disabilities.

Referred to Committee on Medical Affairs
0
WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · S 343

Summary — S. 343 (119th Congress, introduced Jan 30, 2025)

Note: the materials supplied contain multiple, conflicting items labeled “S. 343” (including a Massachusetts state docket and an unrelated title). This summary focuses on the primary federal bill text included in the packet — “Keep Our Promise to America’s Children and Teachers Act” (Keep Our PACT Act) — which would require mandatory (full) funding for Part A of Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and key parts of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

Purpose

To convert previously discretionary federal grants for Title I, Part A (schoolwide and targeted assistance for high‑poverty students) and for core IDEA grants into mandatory funding levels so that Congress provides funding equal to statutory/authorized amounts (or specified dollar targets) across FY2026–FY2035, thereby “fulfilling” prior promises to fully fund these federal education responsibilities.

Key provisions

  • Title I, Part A (ESEA)
    • Defines “fiscal year 2025 part A of title I appropriation” as the FY2025 appropriation for Part A.
    • Appropriates, from Treasury, for each fiscal year FY2026–FY2035 the difference between the FY2025 Part A appropriation and a specified annual target amount (or the full authorized amount for that year, whichever is greater).
    • Specified target amounts by year (examples):
    • FY2026 target: $20,509,878,000
    • FY2027 target: $22,853,242,000
    • FY2030 target: $31,615,646,000
    • FY2035 target: $54,303,244,000 (or full authorized amount, whichever greater).
  • IDEA (Section 611(i) amendment)
    • Recasts funding authorization and makes certain amounts “hereby appropriated” for FY2026 onward (text is partially truncated).
    • For FY2026–FY2028 the bill specifies both dollar amounts and floor percentages tied to an “amount determined under paragraph (2)” (examples shown):
    • FY2026: authorize $16,661,928,000 or 11.6% of the referenced amount, and “hereby appropriated” $6,425,048,000 or 4.5% (availability July 1, 2026 through Sept 30, 2027).
    • FY2027: authorize $19,531,844,000 or 13.4% and appropriate $8,372,932,000 or 5.7% (available July 1, 2027).
    • FY2028: authorize $22,896,084,000 or 15.3% and appropriate $10,911,357,000 or 7.3% (available July 1, 2028).
    • Establishes availability windows (e.g., obligations beginning July 1 of the fiscal year and remaining available through the next Sept 30).

Who is affected

  • Students in high‑poverty schools receiving Title I funds and students with disabilities served under IDEA — intended beneficiaries of increased, stable federal funding.
  • State education agencies, local school districts, and special education programs — will receive larger or more predictable federal grants if targets are funded.
  • Federal budget and Treasury — creates mandatory outlays (increases mandatory spending) relative to current discretionary appropriations for these programs.

Procedural / timeline notes

  • Introduced in the Senate Jan 30, 2025; read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  • A HELP hearing is listed for 11/12/2025 (11:00 AM–5:00 PM) in Gardner Auditorium.
  • Sponsors include Sen. Chris Van Hollen (lead sponsor per bill text) and many cosponsors (e.g., Padilla, Warren, Sanders, Klobuchar, Bennet, Booker, Durbin, Merkley, Duckworth).
  • Bill text for IDEA is partially truncated in the supplied materials; the Massachusetts “S. 343” in the packet is a separate state bill establishing a “Promise Commission” (unrelated to the federal appropriation changes).

Potential impact

  • If enacted, the bill would materially increase federal funding obligations for Title I and IDEA in coming fiscal years, reducing reliance on annual discretionary appropriations and potentially improving funding stability for schools and special education — while increasing mandatory federal expenditures.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

Sign in to ask a question.