H.R. 7082 would amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) to expand the use of funds under the Charter School Programs to include:
Expanding or improving existing charter schools, by expanding curricula, maintaining and improving facilities, and hiring and compensating teachers and staff;
Increasing access to charter schools in rural areas; and
Providing transportation to students on a permanent basis, rather than on a one-time start-up basis, and requiring state entities to ensure that charter schools that receive funding under their programs meet the transportation needs of their students.
Finally, H.R. 7082 would instruct the Secretary of Education to minimize federal regulatory requirements and paperwork.
The estimated budgetary effects of the legislation are shown in Table 1. The costs of the legislation fall within budget function 500 (education, training, employment, and social services).
Table 1.
Estimated Budgetary Effects of H.R. 7082
By Fiscal Year, Millions of Dollars
2026
2027
2028
2029
2030
2031
2026-2031
Increases in Spending Subject to Appropriation
Estimated Authorization
*
27
28
28
29
29
141
Estimated Outlays
*
16
23
28
28
29
124
* = between zero and $500,0000.
In total, CBO estimates that implementing the bill would increase spending subject to appropriation by $124 million over the 2026-2031 period, assuming appropriation of the authorized amounts.
The Congress appropriated $440 million for this program for 2026. Based on that amount of funding and the uses of grant funds authorized under current law, CBO estimates that expanding the program to allow for the uses in H.R. 7082 (other than for transportation, which is discussed in the next paragraph) would cost $11 million in 2027. Accounting for anticipated inflation and spending patterns for similar activities, CBO estimates that implementing these provisions would cost $99 million over the 2026-2031 period.
Based on average transportation costs from the National Center for Education Statistics and the number of students attending schools that receive funding from the Charter School Programs under current law, CBO estimates that allowing funds to be used to transport students would cost about $5 million a year and $25 million over the 2026-2031 period.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Garrett Quenneville. The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy Director of Budget Analysis.
