PATH to Education Act
Sponsored By: Senator Rep. Blunt Rochester, Lisa [D-DE-At Large]
Introduced
Summary
Better transit access for students and Head Start families. This bill would create a new federal grant program to pay for bus, rail, and paratransit changes that connect community colleges, minority-serving and rural colleges, area career and technical schools, and center-based Head Start programs to local transit.
Show full summary
- Makes it easier for center-based Head Start participants and their families to reach programs by funding added stops, route adjustments, schedule changes, and complementary paratransit. Grants can cover eligible operating costs.
- Helps students at community colleges, minority-serving institutions, career and technical schools, and rural-serving colleges get to classes by funding new stops, routes, or more frequent service. Grants give priority to institutions where more than 25% of students receive a Federal Pell Grant.
- Allows public transit providers to apply in partnership with eligible institutions or Head Start agencies. The bill sets aside $1 million in FY2027 and rises to $5 million in FY2031 to fund these grants.
*If enacted, the bill would allocate $1 million in FY2027 rising to $5 million in FY2031, totaling $15 million across FY2027–FY2031 and increasing federal spending.*
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
1 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Transit help for students and families
This bill would create a PATH grant program to fund transit service that connects students and Head Start families to campuses and centers. The Secretary of Transportation would give grants to public transit agencies that partner with eligible institutions, including community colleges, minority-serving and rural-serving colleges, area career and technical schools, and center-based Head Start agencies. Grants would pay for adding stops or routes, paratransit links, more frequent service, schedule changes, and eligible operating costs. The Secretary would give priority to projects at schools where more than 25% of students get Federal Pell Grants. The bill would set aside $1,000,000 in FY2027, $2,000,000 in FY2028, $3,000,000 in FY2029, $4,000,000 in FY2030, and $5,000,000 in FY2031 for these grants. You would only benefit if your school or Head Start program partners with a transit provider that wins a PATH grant.
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Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Rep. Blunt Rochester, Lisa [D-DE-At Large]
DE • D
Cosponsors
Sen. McCormick, David [R-PA]
PA • R
Sponsored 1/15/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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