IB 
Union Calendar No. 379 
119TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 3453 
[Report No. 119–443] 
To modify the program of grants to support high-quality charter schools. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 15, 2025 
Ms. LETLOW (for herself, Ms. TOKUDA, Mr. KILEY of California, Mr. CASE, 
and Mr. CISCOMANI) introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
the Committee on Education and Workforce 
JANUARY 13, 2026 
Additional sponsors: Mr. TIMMONS, Ms. MCDONALD RIVET, Mr. JAMES, Mr. 
CARTER of Louisiana, Mr. CALVERT, Mr. MESSMER, Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. 
MEUSER, Mr. HARDER of California, Mr. CARTER of Georgia, Mr. COLE, 
Ms. LEE of Florida, and Mr. BAUMGARTNER 
JANUARY 13, 2026 
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 
House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed 
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 
[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on May 15, 2025] 
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A BILL 
To modify the program of grants to support high-quality 
charter schools. 
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Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Empower Charter School 
Educators to Lead Act’’. 
SEC. 2. GRANTS TO SUPPORT HIGH-QUALITY CHARTER 
SCHOOLS. 
Section 4303 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7221b) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (b)— 
(A) in paragraph (1)(C), by striking ‘‘and’’ 
after the semicolon; and 
(B) by striking paragraph (2) and inserting 
the following: 
‘‘(2)(A) provide technical assistance to eligible 
applicants and authorized public chartering agencies 
in carrying out the activities described in paragraph 
(1); 
‘‘(B) work with authorized public chartering 
agencies in the State to improve authorizing quality, 
including developing capacity for, and conducting, 
fiscal oversight and auditing of charter schools; and 
‘‘(C) at the State entity’s discretion— 
‘‘(i) fund a revolving loan fund or similar 
mechanisms for the expenses of eligible appli-
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cants under subsection (h) prior to the receipt of 
subgrant funds under paragraph (1); and 
‘‘(ii) provide assistance to eligible appli-
cants in locating and accessing a facility; and 
‘‘(3) provide pre-charter planning subgrants (in 
amounts of no more than $100,000 per subgrantee) to 
charter school developers that— 
‘‘(A) intend to submit an application— 
‘‘(i) to an authorized public chartering 
agency to operate a charter school; or 
‘‘(ii) to nonprofit or public entities for 
the provision of financial support to such 
developers; 
‘‘(B) are led by educators who— 
‘‘(i) have not less than 54 months of 
school-based experience (which may include 
experience in teaching in or administering 
after school or summer school programs); 
and 
‘‘(ii) have demonstrated leadership 
competencies and success with students, as 
determined by the State entity; and 
‘‘(C) have successfully completed the devel-
opment of an initial plan for opening a charter 
school, as evidenced by a description of the edu-
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cational needs of the community in which the 
proposed charter school will be located and how 
the proposed charter school will be suited to meet 
those needs.’’; 
(2) in subsection (c)(1)— 
(A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘90 
percent’’ and inserting ‘‘82 percent’’; 
(B) in subparagraph (B)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘not less than 7 per-
cent’’ and inserting ‘‘not more than 10 per-
cent’’; and 
(ii) by striking ‘‘and’’ after the semi-
colon; 
(C) by redesignating subparagraph (C) as 
subparagraph (D); 
(D) by inserting after subparagraph (B) the 
following: 
‘‘(C) reserve not more than 5 percent of such 
funds to carry out the activities described in sub-
section (b)(3); and’’; 
(3) in subsection (d)(1)(B), by striking ‘‘this sec-
tion’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection (b)(1)’’; 
(4) in subsection (e)(2), by striking ‘‘this sec-
tion’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection (b)(1)’’; 
(5) in subsection (f)(1)(A)(vi)— 
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(A) in the matter preceding subclause (I), 
by inserting ‘‘under subsection (b)(1)’’ after 
‘‘program’’; and 
(B) in subclause (II), by striking ‘‘subgrant 
funds 
under 
this 
section’’ 
and 
inserting 
‘‘subgrant funds under subsection (b)(1)’’; and 
(6) in subsection (h), in the matter preceding 
paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘this section’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘subsection (b)(1)’’. 
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Union Calendar No. 379 
119TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 3453 
[Report No. 119–443] 
A BILL 
To modify the program of grants to support high- 
quality charter schools. 
JANUARY 13, 2026 
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Com-
mittee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, 
and ordered to be printed 
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00:07 Jan 14, 2026
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