American Teacher Act
Bill: H.R.9566 | Sponsor: Rep. Wilson, Frederica S. (D-FL)
Policy area: Education

Summary:
American Teacher Act
This bill directs the Department of Education to award four-year grants to states and, through them, subgrants to local educational agencies to establish a minimum annual salary of $60,000 (adjusted for inflation) for public elementary and secondary school teachers.

To provide grants to States to support State efforts to increase 
               teacher salaries, 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 ``American Teacher Act''.

SEC. 2. GRANTS TO SUPPORT STATE EFFORTS TO INCREASE TEACHER SALARIES.

    (a) Teacher Salary Incentive Grants.--
            (1) Purpose.--The purpose of this section is to ensure that 
        each teacher who is employed full-time at a qualifying school 
        in a State earns an annual salary for any year of employment of 
        not less than $60,000 (adjusted for inflation).
            (2) Grants for minimum salary threshold.--
                    (A) In general.--From amounts made available to 
                carry out this section, the Secretary of Education 
                shall award 4-year grants to States. To be eligible to 
                receive such a grant, the State educational agency 
                shall submit an application to the Secretary at such 
                time, in such manner, and containing such information 
                as the Secretary may require.
                    (B) Required assurances.--As a requirement for a 
                State to receive funds under this section, the 
                Secretary shall require the State to provide an 
                assurance in such application that--
                            (i) if necessary to achieve the purpose of 
                        this section, the State will enact and enforce 
                        legislation to establish a statewide teacher 
                        salary schedule or otherwise to establish 
                        minimum teacher salary requirements;
                            (ii) each teacher described in paragraph 
                        (1) will be compensated on a salary basis at an 
                        annual rate per school year that is not less 
                        than the salary threshold described in 
                        subsection (b);
                            (iii) each teacher who is employed part-
                        time at a qualifying school in a State earns an 
                        annual salary that is proportionately reduced 
                        from the salary threshold described in 
                        subsection (b); and
                            (iv) priority will be given to local 
                        educational agencies in accordance with 
                        subparagraph (C)(ii).
                    (C) Subgrants.--
                            (i) In general.--A State awarded a grant 
                        under this section shall use not less than 85 
                        percent of the grant funds to award subgrants 
                        to local educational agencies to carry out the 
                        purpose of this section.
                            (ii) Priorities.--
                                    (I) In general.--The State 
                                educational agency, in allocating funds 
                                to local educational agencies under 
                                this section, shall give priority to 
                                local educational agencies--
                                            (aa) serving greater 
                                        numbers or percentages of 
                                        children from low-income 
                                        families; or
                                            (bb) with respect to which 
                                        all of the schools served by 
                                        the local educational agency 
                                        are designated with a locale 
                                        code of 41, 42, or 43, as 
                                        determined by the Secretary.
                                    (II) Low-income family.--For 
                                purposes of subclause (I)(aa), the term 
                                ``low-income family'' means a family--
                                            (aa) in which the children 
                                        are eligible for a free or 
                                        reduced-price lunch under the 
                                        Richard B. Russell National 
                                        School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 
                                        1751 et seq.);
                                            (bb) receiving assistance 
                                        under the program of block 
                                        grants to States for temporary 
                                        assistance for needy families 
                                        established under part A of 
                                        title IV of the Social Security 
                                        Act (42 U.S.C. 601 et seq.); or
                                            (cc) in which the children 
                                        are eligible to receive medical 
                                        assistance under the Medicaid 
                                        program under title XIX of the 
                                        Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
                                        1396 et seq.).
    (b) Salary Threshold.--
            (1) In general.--For school year 2024-2025, the base 
        minimum salary dollar amount shall be $60,000.
            (2) Inflation adjustment.--For school year 2025-2026 and 
        each succeeding school year, the dollar amount referred to in 
        paragraph (1) shall be deemed to refer to the dollar amount 
        calculated under this subsection for the preceding school year, 
        increased by a percentage equal to the annual percentage 
        increase in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers 
        published by the Department of Labor for the most recent 
        calendar year.
    (c) Supplement, Not Supplant.--
            (1) In general.--Grant funds received under this section 
        shall be used to supplement and not supplant other Federal, 
        State, and local public funds that would, in the absence of 
        such Federal funds, be made available for teacher pay.
            (2) Maintenance of effort.--A State educational agency or 
        local educational agency shall not reduce or adjust any teacher 
        pay or teacher loan forgiveness program due to the eligibility 
        of teachers within the jurisdiction of such agency for pay 
        supplementation under this section.
            (3) Compliance demonstration to secretary.--Each State 
        educational agency and local educational agency, upon request 
        by the Secretary, shall demonstrate that the methodology used 
        to allocate teacher pay and teacher loan forgiveness (if 
        applicable) to teachers and qualifying schools ensures that 
        each such teacher and school receives the same State and local 
        funds for teacher compensation it would receive if this Act had 
        not been enacted.

SEC. 3. ENHANCED AWARENESS OF THE VALUE OF TEACHING PROFESSION.

    The Secretary may reserve not more than 4 percent of the funds 
appropriated under section 5 to carry out a national campaign--
            (1) to increase awareness about the importance of teachers 
        and the value of the teaching profession;
            (2) to encourage secondary school and college students to 
        consider teaching as a professional career; and
            (3) to diversify the pool of individuals who enter the 
        teaching profession.

SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) ESEA definitions.--The terms ``elementary school'', 
        ``local educational agency'', ``secondary school'', 
        ``Secretary'', ``State'', 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).
            (2) Qualifying school.--The term ``qualifying school'' 
        means, with respect to any school year, is a public elementary 
        school or a public secondary school.
            (3) Teacher.--The term ``teacher'' means an individual 
        who--
                    (A) is a teacher of record who provides direct 
                classroom teaching (or classroom-type teaching in a 
                nonclassroom setting) in a qualifying school for not 
                less than the normal or statutory number of hours of 
                work for a full-time or part-time teacher over a 
                complete school year (as determined by the State in 
                which the school is located); and
                    (B) meets the applicable requirements for State 
                certification and licensure in the State in which such 
                school is located in the subject area in which the 
                individual is the teacher of record.
            (4) Teacher of record.--The term ``teacher of record'' 
        means a teacher who has been assigned the responsibility for 
        specified pupils' learning in a grade, subject, or course as 
        reflected on the school's official record of attendance.

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act such 
sums as may be necessary for fiscal years 2024 through 2028.
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