H.R. 7340

Rebuild America’s Schools Act of 2026

Sponsor: Robert C. "Bobby" Scott

98 cosponsors
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Official summary

Written by the Congressional Research Service.

Rebuild America's Schools Act of 2026

This bill provides support for long-term improvements to public elementary and secondary school facilities.

First, the bill sets forth allocations to states and establishes a need-based grant program for local educational agencies (LEAs) to improve school facilities. Further, the bill specifies allowable uses of grant funds, including carrying out major repairs, improving indoor air quality, and making facilities accessible to individuals with disabilities.

Additionally, the bill requires LEAs that receive funds for new construction, modernization, or renovation projects to comply with hazard-resistance building codes and performance criteria under the WaterSense program of the Environmental Protection Agency. Further, the bill requires such LEAs to adopt certain green practices (environmental standards) and requires the use of iron, steel, and manufactured products that are made in the United States (Buy America).

The bill restores school infrastructure tax credit bonds.

The bill also sets forth reporting requirements, including annual reports on grant program projects and a report by the Government Accountability Office that requires a study of the geographic distribution of projects, the impact of selected projects on student and staff health and safety, and the accessibility of projects to high-needs schools.

The bill also establishes the Office of School Infrastructure and Sustainability within the Department of Education.

Next, the bill extends through FY2031 the Impact Aid Construction program.

Finally, the bill establishes a grant program to assist LEAs with repairing or replacing concrete foundations affected by pyrrhotite (an iron sulfide material linked to crumbling foundations).

Text of the bill

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I GRANTS FOR THE LONG-TERM IMPROVEMENT OF PUBLIC SCHOOL FACILITIES

II School infrastructure bonds

III USES OF FUNDS

IV REPORTS AND OTHER MATTERS

Sec. 406. Sense of Congress on Opportunity Zones

(a) Findings. The Congress finds as follows:

(1) Opportunity Zones were championed by prominent leaders of both parties as an innovative way to tackle longstanding challenges.

(2) As of December 2018, 8,763 low-income communities had been designated as Opportunity Zones, representing all 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, and American Samoa.

(3) Schools are integral parts of communities, and a key part of communities’ economic and workforce development efforts could be modernizing school facilities.

(b) Sense of Congress. It is the sense of the Congress that opportunity zones, when combined with public infrastructure investment, can provide an innovative approach to capital financing that has the potential to unleash creativity and help local communities rebuild schools, rebuild economics, and get people back to work.

V IMPACT AID CONSTRUCTION

VI ASSISTANCE FOR REPAIR OF SCHOOL FOUNDATIONS AFFECTED BY PYRRHOTITE