H.R. 7262

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7262 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7262

To authorize the Secretary of Education to make payments to State 
educational agencies to provide immediate services or assistance to 
local educational agencies and non-public schools that serve an area in 
which a major disaster or emergency has been declared, and for other 
purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

January 27, 2026

Mr. Mannion (for himself, Mr. Carter of Louisiana, and Ms. Chu) 
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
Education and Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To authorize the Secretary of Education to make payments to State 
educational agencies to provide immediate services or assistance to 
local educational agencies and non-public schools that serve an area in 
which a major disaster or emergency has been declared, and for other 
purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Restarting Education After Disasters 
Act'' or the ``READ Act''.

SEC. 2. IMMEDIATE AID TO RESTART SCHOOL OPERATIONS.

(a) Payments Authorized.--
(1) In general.--From amounts appropriated to carry out 
this section, the Secretary is authorized to make payments, on 
such basis as the Secretary determines appropriate, to State 
educational agencies to enable such agencies to provide 
services or assistance to local educational agencies or non-
public schools serving an area in which a covered disaster or 
emergency has been declared.
(2) Enrollment.--In determining the amount to be provided 
in payments authorized under paragraph (1), the Secretary 
shall--
(A) take into consideration the number of students 
who were enrolled, during the school year immediately 
preceding the school year in which a covered disaster 
or emergency occurred, in elementary schools and 
secondary schools that were closed as a result of such 
covered disaster or emergency; and
(B) give priority to State educational agencies 
serving elementary schools and secondary schools that 
were not used for educational instruction for 30 or 
more days.
(b) Eligibility, Consideration, and Equity.--
(1) Eligibility and consideration.--From the payment 
provided by the Secretary under subsection (a), the State 
educational agency shall provide services and assistance to 
local educational agencies and non-public schools, consistent 
with the provisions of this section. In determining the amount 
to be provided for services or assistance under this section, 
the State educational agency shall consider the following:
(A) The number of school-aged children served by 
the local educational agency or non-public school in 
the academic year preceding the academic year for which 
the services or assistance are provided.
(B) The severity of the impact of the covered 
disaster or emergency on the local educational agency 
or nonpublic school and the extent of the needs in each 
local educational agency or non-public school that is 
in an area in which a covered disaster or emergency has 
been declared.
(2) Equity.--Educational services and assistance provided 
for eligible non-public school students under paragraph (1) 
shall be equitable in comparison to the educational services 
and other benefits provided for public school students under 
this section, and shall be provided in a timely manner.
(c) Applications.--Each local educational agency or non-public 
school desiring services or assistance under this section shall submit 
an application to the State educational agency at such time, in such 
manner, and accompanied by such information as the State educational 
agency may reasonably require to ensure expedited and timely provision 
of services or assistance to the local educational agency or non-public 
school.
(d) Uses of Funds.--
(1) In general.--A local educational agency or non-public 
school receiving services or assistance from the State 
educational agency under this section shall use such services 
or assistance for--
(A) recovery of student and personnel data, and 
other electronic information;
(B) replacement of school district information 
systems, including hardware and software;
(C) financial operations;
(D) reasonable transportation costs;
(E) rental of mobile educational units and leasing 
of neutral sites or spaces;
(F) initial replacement of instructional materials 
and equipment, including textbooks;
(G) redeveloping instructional plans, including 
curriculum development;
(H) initiating and maintaining education and 
support services;
(I) facility and equipment repairs and minor 
renovation of schools; and
(J) such other activities related to the purpose of 
this section that are approved by the Secretary.
(2) Use with other available funds.--A local educational 
agency or non-public school receiving services or assistance 
under this section may use such services or assistance in 
coordination with other Federal, State, or local funds 
available for the activities described in paragraph (1).
(3) Special rules.--
(A) Prohibition.--Services or assistance provided 
under this section shall not be used for construction 
or major renovation of schools.
(B) Secular, neutral, and nonideological services 
or assistance.--Services or assistance provided under 
this section, including equipment and materials, shall 
be secular, neutral, and nonideological.
(e) Supplement Not Supplant.--
(1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), 
services or assistance made available under this section shall 
be used to supplement, not supplant, any funds made available 
through the Federal Emergency Management Agency or through a 
State.
(2) Exception.--Paragraph (1) shall not prohibit the 
provision of Federal assistance under this section to an 
eligible State educational agency, local educational agency, or 
nonpublic school that is or may be entitled to receive, from 
another source, benefits for the same purposes as under this 
section if--
(A) such State educational agency, local 
educational agency, or school has not received such 
other benefits by the time of application for Federal 
assistance under this section; and
(B) such State educational agency, local 
educational agency, or school agrees to repay all 
duplicative Federal assistance received to carry out 
the purposes of this section.
(f) Assistance to Non-Public Schools.--
(1) Funds availability.--
(A) In general.--From the payment provided by the 
Secretary under subsection (b) to a State educational 
agency, the State educational agency shall reserve an 
amount of funds, to be made available to non-public 
schools in the State, that is not less than an amount 
that bears the same relation to the payment as the 
number of students in non-public elementary schools and 
secondary schools in the State bears to the total 
number of students in non-public and public elementary 
schools and secondary schools in the State.
(B) Number of schools.--The number of students in 
schools described in subparagraph (A) shall be 
determined by the National Center for Education 
Statistics Common Core of Data for the most recent 
school year for which data is available.
(C) Use of funds.--Except as provided in paragraph 
(2), the funds reserved under subparagraph (A) shall be 
used for the provision of services or assistance at 
non-public schools.
(2) Special rule.--If funds reserved under paragraph (1) 
remain unobligated 120 days after the date of enactment of this 
section, such funds may be used to provide services or 
assistance under this section to local educational agencies.
(3) Public control of funds.--The control of funds for the 
services and assistance provided to a non-public school under 
paragraph (1), and title to materials, equipment, and property 
purchased with such funds, shall be in a public agency, and a 
public agency shall administer such funds, materials, 
equipment, and property and shall provide such services (or may 
contract for the provision of such services with a public or 
private entity).
(g) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Covered disaster or emergency.--The term ``covered 
disaster or emergency'' means a major disaster or emergency 
that has been declared--
(A) in accordance with section 401 or 501 of the 
Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170; 5190); or
(B) by the State served by such State educational 
agency, in accordance with State law.
(2) ESEA terms.--The terms ``elementary school'', ``local 
educational agency'', ``secondary school'', ``Secretary'', and 
``State educational agency'' have the meanings given such terms 
in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 
of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).
(3) Non-public school.--The term ``non-public school'' 
means a non-public elementary school or secondary school that--
(A) is accredited or licensed or otherwise operates 
in accordance with State law; and
(B) was in existence on the date that is 1 week 
prior to the date that the major disaster or emergency 
was declared for the area.
(h) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $200,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2026 through 2030, to remain available until expended.
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