# 119-hr-9698: Advanced Coursework Equity Act

119-hr-9698, Advanced Coursework Equity Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Castro, Joaquin [D-TX-20] (D-TX); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-07-23).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9698
- As of: 2026-07-23
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-9698
- Congress: 119
- Title: Advanced Coursework Equity Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-07-15
- Sponsor: Rep. Castro, Joaquin [D-TX-20] (D-TX)
- Cosponsors: 6
- Policy area: Education
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-07-23

## Summary

**Expand equitable access to advanced coursework** for students in under-resourced elementary and secondary schools. The bill would create a three-track federal grant program for State Educational Agencies, local school districts, and institutions or nonprofits to boost open enrollment, universal screening, and STEM pathways for historically underrepresented students. - Students and families would get broader chances to enroll in advanced courses and build 21st-century STEM skills, with extra focus on Black, Latino, Native American students, English learners, students with disabilities, and low-income students. - Local districts and schools that receive funds must use open enrollment or universal screening, set three-year subgroup enrollment and performance targets with annual milestones, train school leaders and counselors, form local advisory councils with underrepresented members, and provide multilingual family outreach. - Most funding flows through states with 80% allocated to State Educational Agencies for subgrants, and SEAs must direct at least 65% of their grant funds to high-poverty or to schools that offer fewer advanced courses than the State average.

## Cosponsors (6)

- Rep. Lynch, Stephen F. [D-MA-8] (D-MA), 2026-07-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI-12] (D-MI), 2026-07-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Crockett, Jasmine [D-TX-30] (D-TX), 2026-07-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. García, Jesús G. "Chuy" [D-IL-4] (D-IL), 2026-07-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Ruiz, Raul [D-CA-25] (D-CA), 2026-07-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] (D-DC), 2026-07-15T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Grant funding, sizes, and targeting: benefit, medium. This bill would authorize $266 million a year for FY2027, FY2028, and FY2029 to run the program. Each year about 80% of funds would go to State education agencies, at least 15% to local districts, up to 4% to colleges or nonprofits, and up to 1% for Department administration. SEA grants would be $1…
- District rules for access and fees: benefit, low. This bill would require each district that gets funds to carry out at least two activities, such as training leaders and teachers, expanding seats, offering tutoring, or covering advanced‑course fees for low‑income students. Districts would need to implement open enrollment or universal screening f…
- Bonus funds for equity growth: benefit, low. This bill would give a bonus equal to 5% of an SEA's or LEA's original grant to the grantee that shows the greatest growth toward equity goals. An SEA bonus could be awarded at the end of the first or second grant year; an LEA bonus at the end of the first grant year. SEAs must direct at least 50%…
- State and district applications and reports: benefit, low. This bill would require State education agencies to show MOUs covering at least 50% of the State's districts and 50% of the State's students in year one. A local district could get a direct grant only if it is not also seeking a state subgrant for the same cycle and if it meets the high student pov…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-7853: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026
- 119-hr-2045: Medicare Dental, Vision, and Hearing Benefit Act of 2025
- 119-hr-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act
- 119-hr-20: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-9698 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/9698)

## Related
- [119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9877)
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-7853: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7853)
- [119-hr-2045: Medicare Dental, Vision, and Hearing Benefit Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2045)
- [119-hr-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-51)
- [119-hr-20: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-20)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9698 (as of 2026-07-23).