H.R. 3581: Keep Our PACT Act

114th Congress · introduced 2015-09-18 · Education · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2015-09-18 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Van Hollen, Chris [D-MD-8] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Keep Our PACT Act

Plain summary

Keep Our Promise to America's Children and Teachers Act or the Keep Our PACT Act This bill: (1) amends the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to reauthorize and mandate funding levels for a program that awards grants to states for the provision of special education and related services to children with disabilities, and (2) mandates funding levels for school improvement programs under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). With respect to the IDEA grant program, the bill establishes funding levels for each year from FY2016-FY2024 in amounts equal to the greater of: (1) a specified amount for the applicable fiscal year, or (2) a specified percentage of an amount determined pursuant to a formula that multiplies the number of children receiving special education services by the national average per-pupil expenditure in public elementary and secondary schools. Funding levels for FY2025 and beyond must equal the greater of a specified amount or 40% of the amount determined using this formula. With respect to school improvement programs under ESEA, the bill establishes funding levels for each year from FY2016-FY2025 in amounts equal to the difference between: (1) the amount appropriated for the programs in FY2015, and (2) the greater of a specified amount for the applicable fiscal year or the full amount authorized to be appropriated for that fiscal year for such programs. Amounts appropriated under the bill must be expended in a manner consistent with pay-as-you-go requirements.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Keep Our PACT Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Van Hollen, Chris [D-MD-8] · 0 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Van Hollen, Chris [D-MD-8] reported raising $2.5 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (4)

Appropriation: Money a legislature sets aside by law for a specific purpose. Government agencies may spend public money only as it has been appropriated.
Authorization: A law that creates or continues a government program and says what it may do, often with a suggested spending ceiling. An authorization alone does not provide money; a separate appropriation does.
Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Fiscal year: The 12-month period a government uses for its budget. The federal fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30 and is named for the calendar year in which it ends. Most states use July 1 to June 30.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-114hr3581.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/114/hr>

Record fed-us-cong114-hr3581 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong114 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong114