A Democratic bill with 10 Democratic cosponsors · See all 11 cosponsors
Last activity — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
In committee
Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.
The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The Pay Paraprofessionals and Support Staff Act aims to ensure that education support staff and paraprofessionals receive a living wage. It establishes minimum salary requirements for full-time equivalent employees and minimum wage requirements for part-time staff. These minimums are determined by each State and are required to increase alongside employee experience. The bill provides for significant federal funding through grants awarded to States to meet these salary goals. States must submit applications including timelines to ensure all staff meet these requirements within four years.
Yes· 3 of 7
- Scored +9
Does this put more money into public schools?
The bill provides massive federal funding through grants to help states pay school staff higher wages.
- Scored +8
Does this raise the lowest wage an employer may pay?
The bill establishes specific minimum salary and hourly wage requirements for education support staff.
- Scored +6
Would households on low incomes be better off under this?
The bill prioritizes funding for local educational agencies that serve a high number of students from low-income backgrounds.
The opposite
- Scored -5
Does this reduce what the federal government spends?
The bill authorizes significant federal spending through $25 billion in grants to states.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Increased earnings for full-time staff: The bill establishes a minimum salary for full-time equivalent employees, set at $45,000 for fiscal years 2026 through 2030 (Section 2(a)(3)).
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Increased earnings for part-time staff: The bill establishes a minimum wage for part-time equivalent staff, set at $30.00 an hour for fiscal years 2026 through 2030 (Section 2(a)(4)).
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Protection against inflation: Salary and wage growth is indexed to the Consumer Price Index or a minimum of 2 percent to ensure pay keeps up with rising costs (Section 2(a)(3) and Section 2(a)(4)).
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Recognition of experience: The required minimum pay must increase as the experience of the school staff increases (Section 2(a)(3) and Section 2(a)(4)).
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Professional growth opportunities: Subgrant funds can be used to provide staff with opportunities for professional development, credentials, or certifications (Section 2(g)(2)(B)(ii)).
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Support for high-need areas: The bill encourages states to provide substantial subgrant allocations to local educational agencies that serve a high number of students from low-income backgrounds (Section 2(e)(3)(A)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- No negative impacts are explicitly stated in the provided text.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would households on low incomes be better off under this? — The bill prioritizes funding for local educational agencies that serve a high number of students from low-income backgrounds. Would union members be better off under this? — The bill increases wages for educational support staff and explicitly protects existing collective bargaining rights. Would middle-income households be better off under this? — The bill increases the wages of many essential workers who fall into the middle and lower-middle class. Would people in cities be better off under this? — Increased funding for school staff may benefit urban local educational agencies serving high-need populations.
- Education And Technology
- Does this put more money into public schools? — The bill provides massive federal funding through grants to help states pay school staff higher wages.
- Social Issues And Justice
- Is this likely to lift people out of poverty? — The bill aims to ensure education support staff are paid a living wage to improve their economic status.
- Economy And Finance
- Does this raise the lowest wage an employer may pay? — The bill establishes specific minimum salary and hourly wage requirements for education support staff. Does this reduce what the federal government spends? — The bill authorizes significant federal spending through $25 billion in grants to states.
- 6/11/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 4/21/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 10/9/2025
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 10/8/2025
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 7/28/2025
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 7/24/2025
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
- 6 Cosponsors added.
- Introduced in Senate
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Angela AlsobrooksDemocrat · Maryland
Kirsten GillibrandDemocrat · New York
Mazie HironoDemocrat · Hawaii
Andy KimDemocrat · New Jersey
Ben LujánDemocrat · New Mexico
Christopher MurphyDemocrat · Connecticut
Jeff MerkleyDemocrat · Oregon
Alex PadillaDemocrat · California
Bernie SandersIndependent · Vermont
Peter WelchDemocrat · Vermont
Elizabeth WarrenDemocrat · Massachusetts