SOAR Reauthorization Act
Latest action · Jul 14, 2016 Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 561.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedOct 5, 2015
- Passed HouseOct 21, 2015
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Scholarships for Opportunity and Results Reauthorization Act or the SOAR Reauthorization Act
(Sec. 3) This bill amends the District of Columbia Code to prohibit the Department of Education from limiting the number of eligible students receiving District of Columbia Opportunity Scholarship Program (OSP) scholarships, and from preventing otherwise eligible students from participating in the OSP because of:
- the type of school the student previously attended; or
- whether or not the individual previously received the scholarship or participated in OSP, or was a member of the control group used by the Institute of Education Sciences to carry out previous OSP evaluations.
This prohibition may not be construed to waive the requirements under the Scholarships for Opportunity and Results Act (SOAR) that the entity implementing the OSP must implement a random selection process giving weight to SOAR priorities if more eligible students seek admission in the OSP than it can accommodate.
(Sec. 4) An eligible nonprofit organization's application for an OSP grant must include how it will ensure that it utilizes internal fiscal and quality controls.
(Sec. 5) Priorities for the award of scholarships to eligible students are modified to give priority to students who:
- in the preceding school year attended a school identified as one of the lowest-performing schools under the DC accountability system (currently certain elementary or secondary schools identified for improvements, corrective action, or restructuring), and
- certain students regardless of whether they have attended a private school.
(Sec. 6) OSP-participating schools must:
- conduct criminal background checks on school employees who have direct and unsupervised interactions with students, and
- comply with all requests for data and information regarding SOAR reporting requirements.
Participating private schools must be provisionally or fully accredited, or in the process of seeking accreditation:
- within one year after enactment of this Act; and
- within five years after such enactment, must be accredited.
An eligible entity may extend this deadline for a single one-year period if the school provides it with evidence from an accrediting body that its application for accreditation is in process and that it will be awarded accreditation before the end of such period.
After notifying the eligible entity, non-participating private schools seeking to participate in the OSP, and meeting all other requirements, must also be provisionally or fully accredited, or in the process of seeking accreditation within such five-year period. The entity may also extend this deadline for such period.
The Department must make OSP funds available to eligible entities receiving a grant for administrative expenses and parental education and assistance, including streamlining of the application process.
The Department must make previously unobligated OSP funds for any fiscal year (including one occurring before enactment of this Act) available to award new scholarships to students during the next fiscal year and (if still unobligated at the end of that fiscal year) any subsequent fiscal year.
(Sec. 7) The Department must ensure that the evaluation of scholarship students is conducted using an acceptable quasi-experimental research design for determining the effectiveness of the OSP without using a control study group consisting of students who applied for, but did not receive, opportunity scholarships.
The Institute of Education Sciences of the Department must assess participating eligible students in each of grades 3 through 8, and 1 of the grades in the high school level, by supervising the administration of the same reading and math assessment used by the DC public schools to comply with the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965.
This bill also, however, repeals the requirement that the Institute use a grade appropriate, nationally norm-referenced standardized test each school year to assess participating eligible students.
The Department must: (1) terminate the current OSP evaluation procedures after obtaining data for the 2015-2016 school year; and (2) submit the required SOAR reports for them. The Department shall conduct new evaluations for the 2016-2017 school year in accordance with SOAR's procedures as amended by this section. As a component of the new evaluations, the Department shall continue to monitor and evaluate the students evaluated in the most recent evaluation before the enactment of this Act, along with their corresponding test scores and other information.
The DC Mayor shall ensure that all DC public schools and public charter schools make available to the Institute of Education Sciences all the information the Institute requires to carry out assessments and perform evaluations.
(Sec. 8) The Department's authority is revised for withholding specified OSP funds provided to the DC Mayor for DC public and charter schools for noncompliance with SOAR requirements.
The Department must also direct to the DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) the funds provided to support DC public charter schools, and the OSSE may transfer them to subgrantees that are:
- specific DC public charter schools in good standing or networks of such schools, or
- DC-based non-profit organizations with experience in successfully providing support or assistance to such schools or networks.
The OSSE and the DC Charter School Board may not restrict the availability of such funds to certain types of schools based on their location, governing body, or any other characteristic.
(Sec. 9) The Department and the Mayor shall revise the memorandum of understanding in effect to address the need to ensure that participating schools meet fire code standards and maintain certificates of occupancy.
(Sec. 10) The OSP is reauthorized through FY2021.
Recorded votes 2
Newest first. Open one to see how every member voted.
| Roll call | Question | Result | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| House 559 | On Passage | Passed240–191 | Oct 21, 2015 |
| House 558 | On Motion to Recommit with Instructions | Failed185–242 | Oct 21, 2015 |
Cosponsors 14
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Oct 5, 2015 to Oct 8, 2015; 6 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-IL | Daniel Lipinski | Original | Oct 5, 2015 |
| R-UT | Jason Chaffetz | Original | Oct 5, 2015 |
| R-MN | John Kline | Original | Oct 5, 2015 |
| R-IN | Luke Messer | Original | Oct 5, 2015 |
| R-NJ | Rodney P. Frelinghuysen | Original | Oct 5, 2015 |
| R-IN | Todd Rokita | Original | Oct 5, 2015 |
| R-VA | Barbara Comstock | Oct 6, 2015 | |
| R-UT | Rob Bishop | Oct 6, 2015 | |
| R-FL | Ron DeSantis | Oct 6, 2015 | |
| R-OK | Tom Cole | Oct 6, 2015 | |
| R-NC | Virginia Foxx | Oct 6, 2015 | |
| R-SC | Mick Mulvaney | Oct 7, 2015 | |
| R-IA | Rod Blum | Oct 7, 2015 | |
| R-NC | Mark Meadows | Oct 8, 2015 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Oversight and Government Reform Committee | Referred Oct 5, 2015Markup Oct 9, 2015Reported Oct 16, 2015 |
Actions 27
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jul 14, 2016Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 561.
- Jul 13, 2016Read the first time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under Read the First Time.
- Oct 22, 2015Received in the Senate.
- Oct 21, 2015Considered under the provisions of rule H. Res. 480. (consideration: CR H7061-7077; text of measure as reported in House: CR H7070-7073)
- Oct 21, 2015Resolution provides for consideration of both H.R. 10 and H.R. 692.
- Oct 21, 2015House resolved itself into the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union pursuant to H. Res. 480 and Rule XVIII.
- Oct 21, 2015The Speaker designated the Honorable George Holding to act as Chairman of the Committee.
- Oct 21, 2015GENERAL DEBATE - The Committee of the Whole proceeded with one hour of general debate on H.R. 10.
- Oct 21, 2015DEBATE - Pursuant to the provisions of H.Res. 480, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Chaffetz amendment No. 1.
- Oct 21, 2015DEBATE - Pursuant to the provisions of H.Res. 480, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Norton amendment No. 2.
- Oct 21, 2015The House rose from the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union to report H.R. 10.
- Oct 21, 2015The previous question was ordered pursuant to the rule. (consideration: CR H7076)
- Oct 21, 2015Mr. Scott (VA) moved to recommit with instructions to the Committee on Oversight and Government. (consideration: CR H7076-7077; text: CR H7076)
- Oct 21, 2015DEBATE - The House proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Scott (VA) motion to recommit with instructions. The instructions contained in the motion seek to require the bill to be reported back to the House with an amendment to apply civil rights protections to all voucher students and applicants who are impacted by the legislation.
- Oct 21, 2015The previous question on the motion to recommit with instructions was ordered without objection. (consideration: CR H7077)
- Oct 21, 2015POSTPONED PROCEEDINGS - At the conclusion of debate on the Scott (VA) motion to recommit with instructions, the Chair put the question on adopting the motion to recommit and by voice vote, announced that the noes had prevailed. Mr. Scott (VA) demanded the yeas and nays and pursuant to the order of the House of today, the Chair postponed further proceedings on the question of adoption of the motion to recommit until a time to be announced.
- Oct 21, 2015Considered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H7077-7079)
- Oct 21, 2015On motion to recommit with instructions Failed by the Yeas and Nays: 185 - 242 (Roll no. 558).
- Oct 21, 2015Passed/agreed to in House: On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 240 - 191 (Roll no. 559).
- Oct 21, 2015Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- Oct 20, 2015Rules Committee Resolution H. Res. 480 Reported to House. Resolution provides for consideration of both H.R. 10 and H.R. 692.
- Oct 16, 2015Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. H. Rept. 114-292.
- Oct 16, 2015Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 221.
- Oct 9, 2015Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
- Oct 9, 2015Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 16 - 14.
- Oct 5, 2015Introduced in House
- Oct 5, 2015Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
In the Congressional Record 6
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senate | Debate and remarks S5099 | Mitch McConnell R-KY | Jul 14, 2016 |
| Senate | Debate and remarks S5094 | Chuck Grassley R-IA | Jul 13, 2016 |
| Extensions | Debate and remarks E1507 | Tom Cole R-OK | Oct 22, 2015 |
| House | Debate and remarks H7038, H7041–H7047, H7061–H7079Text printed H7041, H7070–H7073Amendments H7046, H7073Motions H7076Recorded votes H7051, H7078consideration (H. Res. 480), previous questionScott of Virginia motion to recommit (voucher program student civil rights protections) | Alcee L. Hastings D-FL (amendment), Bonnie Watson Coleman D-NJ, Chris Stewart R-UT, Doug LaMalfa R-CA, Earl Blumenauer D-OR, Eleanor Holmes Norton D-DC (amendment), Elijah E. Cummings D-MD, Glenn Grothman R-WI, Jason Chaffetz R-UT (amendment), John A. Boehner R-OH, John Kline R-MN, Luke Messer R-IN, Mark Meadows R-NC, Mark Sanford R-SC, Mark Takano D-CA, Mark Walker R-NC, Mike Kelly R-PA, Rick W. Allen R-GA, Rob Bishop R-UT, Robert C. "Bobby" Scott D-VA (motion), Rodney P. Frelinghuysen R-NJ, Sheila Jackson Lee D-TX, Tim Walberg R-MI, Todd Rokita R-IN, Virginia Foxx R-NC | Oct 21, 2015 |
| House | Declaratory Statements H7028 | — | Oct 20, 2015 |
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Committee report
Congressional Budget Office cost estimate
- Oct 16, 2015H.R. 10, Scholarships for Opportunity and Results Reauthorization ActAs ordered reported by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on October 9, 2015
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 161, no. 145, October 5, 2015, page H6795.
Printed hearings 2
Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.
| Number | Hearing | Committee | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | "THE HEROIN EPIDEMIC AND PARENTAL SUBSTANCE ABUSE: USING EVIDENCE AND DATA TO PROTECT KIDS FROM HARM"128 pages | Ways and Means Committee | May 18, 2016 |
| 114-11 | IMPROVING CAPITAL ACCESS PROGRAMS WITHIN THE SBA54 pages | Small Business Committee | May 19, 2015 |
Amendments 2
Amendments offered to this bill.
| Amendment | Description | Offered by | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| HAmdt 722 | Manager's amendment makes technical and conforming changes to the bill. | Jason Chaffetz R-UT | On agreeing to the Chaffetz amendment (A001) Agreed to by voice vote. |
| HAmdt 723 | Amendment sought to restore the requirement that the voucher program be evaluated using the strongest possible research design, thus limiting voucher students to no more than 50% of a school's total enrollment. | Eleanor Holmes Norton D-DC | On agreeing to the Norton amendment (A002) Failed by voice vote. |
Related bills 2
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HRES 480 | Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 10) to reauthorize the Scholarships for Opportunity and Results Act, and for other purposes, and providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 692) to ensure the payment of interest and principal of the debt of the United States. | Related bill | Oct 21, 2015 |
| S 2171 | SOAR Reauthorization Act | Related bill | Nov 4, 2015 |
Titles 7
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To reauthorize the Scholarships for Opportunity and Results Act, and for other purposes.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- SOAR Reauthorization Act
- Scholarships for Opportunity and Results Reauthorization Act
- Short Titles as Reported to House
- SOAR Reauthorization Act
- Scholarships for Opportunity and Results Reauthorization Act
- Short Titles as Passed House
- Scholarships for Opportunity and Results Reauthorization Act
- SOAR Reauthorization Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Education.
Text 5
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jul 14, 2016Placed on Calendar Senate
- Oct 22, 2015Received in Senate
- Oct 21, 2015Engrossed in House
- Oct 16, 2015Reported in House
- Oct 5, 2015Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
