Keep Our PACT Act
Sponsored By: Senator Van Hollen, Chris [D-MD]
Introduced
Summary
Guarantee and increase federal funding for Title I and IDEA through FY2035. This bill would lock in year-by-year, formula-driven mandatory funding to support low-income students and to expand federal dollars for children with disabilities, and it designates those amounts as an emergency for budget rules.
Show full summary
- Low-income students and families: Grants for supplementary educational and related services would be funded through FY2035 for low-achieving students and students in high-poverty elementary and secondary schools.
- Children with disabilities and special education: The bill would permanently reauthorize IDEA grants and set a rising funding schedule that aims for a 40 percent federal share by FY2035, with IDEA funding reaching about $69.6 billion (40%) in 2035.
- States and local education agencies: Part A of Title I would move to mandatory, formula-based funding with a 2026 baseline of about $20.5 billion, and the bill designates the spending as an emergency requirement under PAYGO and related budget enforcement rules.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
Guaranteed Title I funding through 2035
If enacted, this bill would make Part A of Title I mandatory from fiscal year 2026 through 2035. For FY2026–FY2034 the Treasury payment would equal the difference between the FY2025 Part A appropriation and a listed baseline (for example, $20.51 billion in FY2026). For FY2035 the bill would provide $54.30 billion or the full authorized amount for that year, whichever is greater. This would mainly increase federal money for low-income students and their schools.
More federal funding for special education
If enacted, this bill would set mandatory yearly authorizations and appropriations for IDEA Part B from FY2026 through FY2035 and beyond. Each year the amount would be the larger of a fixed dollar floor or a percentage of (the number of children with disabilities × the U.S. average per-pupil spending). For example, FY2026 floor is $16.66 billion or 11.6% of that calculated amount, and by FY2035 the floor or share reaches $69.64 billion or 40%. Some yearly appropriations would become available on July 1 and remain available through the following September 30 as listed.
Emergency budget rule for education
If enacted, the bill would treat the Act's education funding amounts as emergency requirements for PAYGO and related House budget enforcement for FY2026–FY2035. That would make those amounts be scored and enforced as emergency spending. This can let the new mandatory funding avoid some normal budget caps and PAYGO offsets and change how costs are counted in federal budget totals.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Van Hollen, Chris [D-MD]
MD • D
Cosponsors
Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA]
CA • D
Sponsored 1/30/2025
Sen. Hirono, Mazie K. [D-HI]
HI • D
Sponsored 1/30/2025
Sen. Reed, Jack [D-RI]
RI • D
Sponsored 1/30/2025
Sen. Murphy, Christopher [D-CT]
CT • D
Sponsored 1/30/2025
Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA]
MA • D
Sponsored 1/30/2025
Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT]
CT • D
Sponsored 1/30/2025
Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT]
VT • I
Sponsored 1/30/2025
Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR]
OR • D
Sponsored 1/30/2025
Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL]
IL • D
Sponsored 1/30/2025
Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ]
NJ • D
Sponsored 1/30/2025
Amy Klobuchar
MN • D
Sponsored 1/30/2025
Sen. Heinrich, Martin [D-NM]
NM • D
Sponsored 1/30/2025
Sen. Smith, Tina [D-MN]
MN • D
Sponsored 1/30/2025
Sen. Duckworth, Tammy [D-IL]
IL • D
Sponsored 1/30/2025
Sen. Warren, Elizabeth [D-MA]
MA • D
Sponsored 1/30/2025
Sen. Bennet, Michael F. [D-CO]
CO • D
Sponsored 1/30/2025
Sen. Alsobrooks, Angela D. [D-MD]
MD • D
Sponsored 4/2/2025
Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR]
OR • D
Sponsored 7/31/2025
Sen. Luján, Ben Ray [D-NM]
NM • D
Sponsored 10/7/2025
Sen. Shaheen, Jeanne [D-NH]
NH • D
Sponsored 10/22/2025
Sen. Kim, Andy [D-NJ]
NJ • D
Sponsored 11/18/2025
Sen. Blunt Rochester, Lisa [D-DE]
DE • D
Sponsored 11/18/2025
Sen. Coons, Christopher A. [D-DE]
DE • D
Sponsored 12/16/2025
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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