[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 115 (Thursday, July 11, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5056-S5057]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 2817. Mr. JOHNSON submitted an amendment intended to be proposed
by him to the bill S. 4638, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year
2025 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy,
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:
At the end of subtitle H of title X, insert the following:
SEC. 1096. SOAR PERMANENT AUTHORIZATION ACT.
(a) Short Title.--This section may be cited as the ``SOAR
Permanent Authorization Act''.
(b) Amendments to the SOAR Act.--The Scholarships for
Opportunity and Results Act (division C of Public Law 112-10)
is amended--
(1) in section 3007 (sec. 38-1853.07 D.C. Official Code)--
(A) in subsection (a)(5)(A)(i), by striking subclause (I)
and inserting the following:
``(I) is fully accredited by an accrediting body with
jurisdiction in the District of Columbia or that is
recognized by the Student and Visitor Exchange English
Language Program administered by U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement; or'';
(B) by striking subsection (c) and redesignating subsection
(d) as subsection (c);
(C) in subsection (b)--
(i) in the subsection heading, by striking ``and Parental
Assistance'' and inserting ``, Parental Assistance, and
Student Academic Assistance'';
(ii) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking
``$2,000,000'' and inserting ``$2,200,000''; and
(iii) by adding at the end the following:
``(3) The expenses of providing tutoring service to
participating eligible students that need additional academic
assistance. If there are insufficient funds to provide
tutoring services to all such students in a year, the
eligible entity shall give priority in such year to students
who previously attended an elementary school or secondary
school identified as one of the lowest-performing schools
under the District of Columbia's accountability system.'';
and
(D) in subsection (c), as redesignated by subparagraph
(B)--
(i) in paragraph (2)(B), by striking ``subsections (b) and
(c)'' and inserting ``subsection (b)''; and
(ii) in paragraph (3), by striking ``subsections (b) and
(c)'' and inserting ``subsection (b)'';
(2) in section 3008(h) (sec. 38-1853.08(h) D.C. Official
Code)--
(A) in paragraph (1), by striking ``section
3009(a)(2)(A)(i)'' and inserting ``section 3009(a)'';
(B) by striking paragraph (2) and inserting the following:
``(2) Administration of tests.--The Institute of Education
Sciences may administer assessments to students participating
in the evaluation under section 3009(a) for the purpose of
conducting the evaluation under such section.''; and
(C) in paragraph (3), by striking ``the nationally norm-
referenced standardized test described in paragraph (2)'' and
inserting ``a nationally norm-referenced standardized test'';
(3) in section 3009(a) (sec. 38-1853.09(a) D.C. Official
Code)--
(A) in paragraph (1)(A), by striking ``annually'' and
inserting ``regularly'';
(B) in paragraph (2)--
(i) in subparagraph (A), by striking clause (i) and
inserting the following:
``(i) is rigorous; and''; and
(ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``impact of the
program'' and all that follows through the end of the
subparagraph and inserting ``impact of the program on
academic progress and educational attainment.'';
(C) in paragraph (3)--
(i) in the paragraph heading, by striking ``on education''
and inserting ``of education'';
(ii) in subparagraph (A)--
(I) by inserting ``the academic progress of'' after
``assess''; and
(II) by striking ``in each of grades 3'' and all that
follows through the end of the subparagraph and inserting ``;
and'';
(iii) by striking subparagraph (B); and
(iv) by redesignating subparagraph (C) as subparagraph (B);
and
(D) in paragraph (4)--
(i) in subparagraph (A)--
(I) by striking ``A comparison of the academic achievement
of participating eligible
[[Page S5057]]
students who use an opportunity scholarship on the
measurements described in paragraph (3)(B) to the academic
achievement'' and inserting ``The academic progress of
participating eligible students who use an opportunity
scholarship compared to the academic progress''; and
(II) by inserting ``, which may include students'' after
``students with similar backgrounds'';
(ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``increasing the
satisfaction of such parents and students with their choice''
and inserting ``those parents' and students' satisfaction
with the program'';
(iii) by striking subparagraph (D) through (F) and
inserting the following:
``(D) The high school graduation rates, college enrollment
rates, college persistence rates, and college graduation
rates of participating eligible students who use an
opportunity scholarship compared with the rates of public
school students described in subparagraph (A), to the extent
practicable.
``(E) The college enrollment rates, college persistence
rates, and college graduation rates of students who
participated in the program as the result of winning the
Opportunity Scholarship Program lottery compared to the
enrollment, persistence, and graduation rates for students
who entered but did not win such lottery and who, as a
result, served as the control group for previous evaluations
of the program under this division. Nothing in this
subparagraph may be construed to waive section
3004(a)(3)(A)(iii) with respect to any such student.
``(F) The safety of the schools attended by participating
eligible students who use an opportunity scholarship compared
with the schools attended by public school students described
in subparagraph (A), to the extent practicable.''; and
(iv) in subparagraph (G), by striking ``achievement'' and
inserting ``progress''; and
(4) in section 3014 (sec. 38-1853.14, D.C. Official Code)--
(A) in subsection (a), in the matter preceding paragraph
(1), by striking ``$60,000,000 for fiscal year 2012 and for
each fiscal year through fiscal year 2023'' and inserting
``$75,000,000 for fiscal year 2024 and for each succeeding
fiscal year''; and
(B) in subsection (b), by striking ``$60,000,000'' and
inserting ``$75,000,000''.
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