S. 343 — Keep Our PACT Act

This section states congressional findings on the importance of high-quality education for all children, the role of Part A of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 in addressing educational inequities, and Congress's commitment under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act—as amended by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004—to provide 40% of the national average per-pupil expenditure for students with disabilities.

This section provides mandatory appropriations, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, for fiscal years 2026 through 2035 for programs under part A of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (Title I-A grants), which provide formula funding to states and local educational agencies to improve educational achievement of disadvantaged children, particularly those from low-income families. For FY2026 through FY2034, the appropriation for each year equals the excess of the specified amount below or the full amount authorized to be appropriated for Title I-A for that year, whichever is greater, over the FY2025 discretionary appropriation for Title I-A: (1) FY2026, $20,509,878,000; (2) FY2027, $22,853,242,000; (3) FY2028, $25,464,349,000; (4) FY2029, $28,373,788,000; (5) FY2030, $31,615,646,000; (6) FY2031, $35,227,904,000; (7) FY2032, $39,252,882,000; (8) FY2033, $43,737,735,000; and (9) FY2034, $48,735,007,000. For FY2035, the appropriation equals $54,303,244,000 or the full amount authorized to be appropriated for Title I-A for that year, whichever is greater.

This section revises the funding provisions for Part B grants under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) (20 U.S.C. 1411)—formula grants to states, outlying areas, freely associated states, and the Secretary of the Interior to provide special education and related services to children with disabilities aged 3 through 21 (excluding section 619 preschool grants)—by establishing both authorizations and mandatory appropriations for FY2026 through FY2035 and subsequent fiscal years (previously funded through discretionary appropriations averaging 13-15% of the full formula). For each year, amounts are the greater of a specified dollar figure or an escalating percentage of the full formula amount nationwide (i.e., total children served aged 3-5 in section 619-eligible states and aged 6-21 times the average per-pupil expenditure in public elementary and secondary schools), as follows: Authorizations: (1) $16.662 billion or 11.6% for FY2026; (2) $19.532 billion or 13.4% for FY2027; (3) $22.896 billion or 15.3% for FY2028; (4) $26.840 billion or 17.6% for FY2029; (5) $31.463 billion or 20.2% for FY2030; (6) $36.882 billion or 23.1% for FY2031; (7) $43.235 billion or 26.5% for FY2032; (8) $50.682 billion or 30.4% for FY2033; (9) $59.411 billion or 34.9% for FY2034; and (10) $69.645 billion or 40% for FY2035 and subsequent years. Mandatory appropriations: (1) $6.425 billion or 4.5% for FY2026; (2) $8.373 billion or 5.7% for FY2027; (3) $10.911 billion or 7.3% for FY2028; (4) $14.219 billion or 9.3% for FY2029; (5) $18.530 billion or 11.9% for FY2030; (6) $24.148 billion or 15.2% for FY2031; (7) $31.469 billion or 19.3% for FY2032; (8) $41.010 billion or 24.6% for FY2033; (9) $53.442 billion or 31.4% for FY2034; and (10) $69.645 billion or 40% for FY2035 and subsequent years. (Thus, mandatory funding reaches the full statutory formula of 40% of average per-pupil expenditures by FY2035.) Mandatory funds become available for obligation

This section designates all amounts provided by the amendments made by this Act as an emergency requirement pursuant to section 4(g) of the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010 (i.e., exempting them from pay-as-you-go deficit enforcement). It further designates those amendments as emergency requirements under section 4001(a)(1) of S. Con. Res. 14 (117th Congress), the FY2022 budget resolution, and House budget enforcement legislation for FY2026 through FY2035.