# 119-hr-954: SOAR Permanent Authorization Act

119-hr-954, SOAR Permanent Authorization Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Moolenaar, John R. [R-MI-2] (R-MI); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2025-12-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-954
- As of: 2025-12-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-954
- Congress: 119
- Title: SOAR Permanent Authorization Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-02-04
- Sponsor: Rep. Moolenaar, John R. [R-MI-2] (R-MI)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Policy area: Education
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2025-12-21

## Summary

**Would permanently authorize and raise annual funding for the District of Columbia's SOAR scholarship program to $75 million.** It would also relax some accreditation rules, expand tutoring priority for high‑need students, and require broader, regular evaluations that measure progress and college outcomes. - Students and families: Gives scholarship recipients more funding stability by authorizing $75 million per year, which would support continued access to private school options and related assistance. - High‑need students and tutors: Raises the Student Academic Assistance cap to $2.2 million and creates a tutoring priority for students who previously attended DC schools identified as lowest‑performing, so tutoring goes first to the neediest students when funds are limited. - Program operators and researchers: Adds an alternate accreditation pathway for participating entities, broadens testing to any "nationally norm‑referenced standardized test," allows the Institute of Education Sciences to run assessments, and replaces annual reviews with rigorous, regular evaluations that track progress, graduation, college enrollment, persistence, and safety outcomes. *Would increase authorized federal funding to $75 million per year, about $15 million more annually than the prior $60 million cap.*

## Provisions PRIA read

- Larger annual scholarship funding: benefit, medium. If enacted, the Opportunity Scholarship Program would be authorized to receive $75,000,000 each year starting in fiscal year 2024. That replaces the prior $60,000,000 level. The money would remain subject to annual appropriation and could allow more scholarships or services for participating famili…
- Broader provider accreditation options: benefit, low. If enacted, more types of accreditation would qualify a school or provider to participate. Providers could qualify by accreditation with jurisdiction in the District of Columbia or by recognition through the Student and Visitor Exchange English Language Program administered by ICE. The change would…
- More student aid and tutoring: benefit, low. If enacted, a referenced student assistance amount would rise from $2,000,000 to $2,200,000. The bill would also make tutoring an explicitly allowable reimbursable expense for students who need extra help. If funds are insufficient in a year, programs must prioritize students who previously attende…
- Stronger program evaluation rules: benefit, low. If enacted, program evaluations would be done regularly rather than only annually and must be rigorous. The bill would shift focus to student progress and educational attainment. Required measures would include graduation, college enrollment, persistence and graduation comparisons, lottery winner v…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-9237: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act
- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-137: TCJA Permanency Act
- 119-hr-2725: Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2025
- 119-hr-2570: Maximum Pressure Act
- 119-hr-7705: Tribal Tax and Investment Reform Act of 2026

## Sources
- [119-hr-954 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/954)

## Related
- [119-hr-9237: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9237)
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [119-hr-137: TCJA Permanency Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-137)
- [119-hr-2725: Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2725)
- [119-hr-2570: Maximum Pressure Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2570)
- [119-hr-7705: Tribal Tax and Investment Reform Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7705)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-954 (as of 2025-12-21).