Sponsors (97)
Official title: To provide for the long-term improvement of public school facilities, and for other purposes.
Introduced February 4, 2026 by Robert C. Scott · Last progress February 4, 2026
The bill delivers large, targeted federal investments to modernize and make schools healthier, greener, and more resilient—especially for high‑need districts—but does so with meaningful state/local cost-sharing, increased administrative requirements, eligibility limits, and potential increases in project costs and federal outlays.
Public school districts, students, and local governments receive substantial new federal capital support (annual formula/grant authorizations, tax-credit bonds, and targeted reimbursements) to modernize, repair, and expand school facilities, lowering local borrowing needs.
Students, staff, and school communities gain improved health and safety through funded repairs and upgrades (HVAC, lead/PFAS remediation, seismic work, foundation repairs, water/air safety).
High-need, low-resource, and Title I-weighted districts are prioritized for grants and recovery support, increasing access to funds for high-poverty and capital-constrained schools.
States, districts, and local taxpayers face substantial new matching and maintenance-of-effort obligations (e.g., 10% state match, up to 50% caps on certain programs, 90% MOE), which could strain budgets and shift costs to local taxpayers.
States and LEAs will incur significant administrative, compliance, and reporting burdens (facility databases, 10‑year plans, annual/Treasury/GAO reporting, strict documentation), diverting staff time and resources from project delivery.
Eligibility rules, narrow statutory definitions, and competitive grant structures could exclude some schools (Bureau-funded schools, certain charter schools, districts unable to use tax‑exempt bond categories), creating inequities and leaving needy schools without access.
Based on analysis of 14 sections of legislative text.
Creates a federal school infrastructure grant program, revives tax-credit bond authorities for school construction/retrofits, requires national facility studies, and funds pyrrhotite foundation repairs.
Creates a federal program to fund long-term repairs, modernization, safety, health, energy, and accessibility upgrades at public K–12 school facilities and revives tax-credit bond authorities to help finance school construction and retrofits. It reserves small shares of funds for outlying areas and Bureau-funded (Indian) schools, requires State plans and allocations to local educational agencies, establishes reporting and recurring national studies of school conditions, sets labor standards for bond-funded projects, and creates a targeted program to reimburse or fund repairs to concrete foundations damaged by pyrrhotite.