119th Congress · introduced in the House · Sep 8, 2025
SOAR Act Improvements Act
Official title from Congress.gov
Latest action (Sep 10, 2025): Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 25 - 20.
View on Congress.govPolicy area: Education
Congressional Research Service summary, version: Introduced in House (Sep 8, 2025)
SOAR Act Improvements Act
This bill reauthorizes through FY2032 and modifies the District of Columbia (DC) Opportunity Scholarship Program, which is a federal program that funds private school scholarships for low-income students in DC.
Under the program, the Department of Education (ED) issues grants to nonprofit organizations to pay for income-qualified DC residents to attend DC private elementary or secondary schools of their choice. The bill expands the program to include pre-kindergarten students and authorizes ED to renew grants for up to five years without a new application.
Current law requires nonprofits to ensure that if more scholarship students apply to a particular school than the school can accommodate, students will be randomly selected for admission. The bill specifies that this only applies if random selection would not interfere with the school's regular admission standards or procedures.
Current law also requires schools to be properly accredited in order to participate in the program (i.e., enroll scholarship students). The bill authorizes a nonparticipating school to enroll scholarship students provided it obtains accreditation within five years of first pursuing participation in the program.
The bill also makes other administrative changes to the program, including (1) authorizing the majority of voting members of a nonprofit’s board to live in the DC metropolitan area, rather than in DC itself; (2) removing a cap on the use of funds for tutoring students; and (3) directing ED and the mayor of DC to periodically evaluate and publicly report on the program.
Includes amendment, cloture, and procedural votes. Each is labeled with its exact question; only a passage question is a vote to pass the bill.
No recorded roll calls on this bill in coverage.
Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 25 - 20.
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
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LD-2 reports whose issue descriptions explicitly cite this bill (bill type and number validated against Congress.gov records). A citation does not establish the client's position or any contact with a member.
Loading lobbying reportsCoverage: reports for 2025 onward, posted Jan 1, 2025 through Oct 23, 2026.
4 citations.
AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS · lobbying firm or registrant: AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS
2025 Q4 report (Oct 1, 2025 – Dec 31, 2025) · posted Jan 20, 2026 · issue area: Education
$450,000
Spent on own lobbying
…e completion) and funding The DC voucher program/SOAR Act FY2026 funding and policy provisions H.R.6718 Professional Student Degree Act Private school vouchers H.R.5181, SOAR Act Improvements Act Social Media and Platform Accountability related issues Career and Technical Education related issues S.278, Kids Off Social Media A…
Congress inferred from the report year; bill number and the title cited with it match Congress.gov records, and the bill predates the report. The amount is lobbying spending for every issue on this report, not this bill alone, and none of it is paid to any member of Congress. View filing
AMERICANS UNITED FOR SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE · lobbying firm or registrant: AMERICANS UNITED FOR SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE
2025 Q3 report (Jul 1, 2025 – Sep 30, 2025) · posted Oct 20, 2025 · issue area: Education
$90,000
Spent on own lobbying
H.R. 5181, SOAR Act Improvements Act: Opposed bill that would re-authorize the District of Columbia private school voucher program. H.R. 1, One Big Beautiful Bill Act: O…
Congress inferred from the report year; bill number and the title cited with it match Congress.gov records, and the bill predates the report. The amount is lobbying spending for every issue on this report, not this bill alone, and none of it is paid to any member of Congress. View filing
LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF THE U.S. · lobbying firm or registrant: LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF THE U.S.
2025 Q3 report (Jul 1, 2025 – Sep 30, 2025) · posted Oct 20, 2025 · issue area: District of Columbia
$140,000
Spent on own lobbying
…e DC Criminal Reforms to Immediately Make Everyone Safer (DC CRIMES) Act 14.Oppose H.R. 5140, the District of Columbia Juvenile Sentencing Reform Act 15.Oppose H.R. 5181, the SOAR Act Improvements Act 16.Oppose H.R. 5107, Common-Sense Law Enforcement and Accountability Now in DC (CLEAN DC) Act 17.Oppose H.R. 5143, the District…
Congress inferred from the report year; bill number and the title cited with it match Congress.gov records, and the bill predates the report. The amount is lobbying spending for every issue on this report, not this bill alone, and none of it is paid to any member of Congress. View filing
AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION · lobbying firm or registrant: AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION
2025 Q3 report (Jul 1, 2025 – Sep 30, 2025) · posted Oct 17, 2025 · issue area: Civil Rights/Civil Liberties
$400,000
Spent on own lobbying
…rict of Columbia"-Issues Lobbied: Justice. H.R. 4667-VISIBLE Act-Issues Lobbied: Immigration. H.R. 1007-Antisemitism Awareness Act-Issues Lobbied: Free Speech. H.R. 5181-SOAR Act Improvements Act-Issues Lobbied: Religious Liberty. H.R. 1880-Broadcast Freedom and Independence Act of 2025-Issues Lobbied: Free Speech. H.R. 4849-Pr…
Congress inferred from the report year; bill number and the title cited with it match Congress.gov records, and the bill predates the report. The amount is lobbying spending for every issue on this report, not this bill alone, and none of it is paid to any member of Congress. View filing