Congress·In Committee·S. 1723

New Bill Proposes $500 Million to Help Charter Schools Find and Fix School Buildings

Equitable Access to School Facilities Act

10 months ago·View on Congress.gov

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Stalled

No legislative action in over 90 days.

Legislative Progress

Senate

House

President

Law

Key Points

This bill creates a new grant program to help charter schools pay for their buildings. It provides $100 million each year from 2026 to 2030 to help these schools buy, rent, or renovate their facilities.
The goal is to make sure charter schools have the same access to money and buildings as traditional public schools. Currently, many charter schools have to use their classroom budgets to pay for rent, which leaves less money for teaching.
States that make it easier for charter schools to get permits or use empty public buildings will be first in line for this federal funding. The bill also encourages states to stop rules that prevent charter schools from buying old government property.
The policy allows states to set up special loan programs. These revolving loan funds would give schools low-cost loans to fix up classrooms or make sure buildings meet safety codes and are ready for students.
This plan focuses heavily on helping schools in rural areas and low-income neighborhoods. It also provides technical help to ensure new schools are planned well and can support high-quality education for their students.

Education

Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

Who is affectedScoreImpactCertaintyScopeDurationSentiment

Scores: 1 = low, 5 = highSentiment: -5 to +5 (net benefit)

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions

May 13, 2025Senate

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

May 13, 2025

Introduced in Senate

Related News

3 articles

Politico·2 months ago

House Education advances bills to bolster charter school expansion

The House Education and Workforce Committee advanced the Equitable Access to School Facilities Act (H.R. 7086) on a party-line vote. The bill aims to incentivize states to treat charter schools similarly to traditional public schools in terms of land use and facility acquisition.

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Washington Examiner·10 months ago

Bill Cassidy holds event on expanding access to charter schools after introducing bill to cut 'red tape'

Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) hosted a briefing on charter school innovation shortly after reintroducing the Equitable Access to School Facilities Act. The bill focuses on ensuring schools have sufficient facilities and capital, particularly in low-income and rural communities.

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Legis1·6 months ago

National Alliance for Public Charter Schools conducts in-house lobbying on federal funding bills

Lobbying efforts have intensified for S. 1723, the Equitable Access to School Facilities Act, which would create $100 million annually for charter facilities aid. The bill aims to close the funding gap that forces many charters to divert classroom money to rent.

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

Equitable Access to School Facilities Act

Bill NumberS 1723

Congress119th Congress

ChamberSenate

Latest ActionRead twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Sponsor

Cosponsors

(2)

D: 1R: 1

Data Sources

Congress.gov

Official legislative information

Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.