H.R. 7262

119 HR 7262 IH: Restarting Education After Disasters Act
 U.S. House of Representatives
 2026-01-27
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 Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.
 I  119th CONGRESS  2d Session  H. R. 7262  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.
1.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the   Restarting Education After Disasters Act   or the   READ Act  .
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.