H.R. 7082 119th Congress House

FLEX Act

Official title: To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 in order to provide for greater flexibility in the Federal programs supporting the planning and implementation of charter schools.

Introduced: January 15, 2026 Introduced by: Ryan Mackenzie Republican · Pennsylvania See on congress.gov

Education Education programs fundingEducational facilities and institutionsElementary and secondary educationTeaching, teachers, curricula

Everywhere this bill has been 6 steps

Introduced

In committee

Reported out

Passed House

Passed Senate

To President

Became law

May 13, 2026

Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 566.

May 13, 2026

Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Education and Workforce. H. Rept. 119-651.

Jan 21, 2026

Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held

Jan 21, 2026

Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 19 - 15.

Jan 15, 2026

Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.

Jan 15, 2026

Introduced in House

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What's happening now May 13, 2026

Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 566.

Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Fostering Learning and Excellence in Charter Schools Act or the FLEX Act

This bill expands and revises the Charter Schools Program (CSP), including by expanding the allowable uses of CSP funds.

Current law authorizes competitive grants to state entities (e.g., state educational agencies and state charter school boards) and, through them, subgrants to eligible applicants (i.e., charter school developers) to enable them to open and prepare for the operation of a new charter school or replicate or expand an existing high-quality charter school.

The bill allows subgrants to also be used for adding or expanding programs or other offerings at these schools, such as through the adoption of new academic programs or delivery models, personalized learning, or a new curricular approach. New offerings must enable additional students to enroll in and benefit from the school.

Eligible applicants may also use CSP funds for activities such as

hiring and compensating teachers and other school staff (currently, this may only occur during the planning period);
carrying out necessary renovations, upgrades, or facility repairs, or acquiring portable classrooms; and
providing transportation to students (currently, only one-time, start-up transportation costs are permitted).

Eligible applicants may request and receive advance payments of subgrants.

Among other requirements, the Department of Education must (1) use CSP funds for additional activities (e.g., increasing the number of available seats in charter schools that serve rural students and students with disabilities), and (2) consult with charter school operators prior to issuing a notice of proposed rulemaking relevant to charter schools.

Hearings & markups 1

H.R. 7082, the "Fostering Learning and Excellence in Charter Schools (FLEX) Act"; H.R. 7086, the "Equitable Access to S…
Markup Jan 21, 2026 · 10:15 AM EST · Education and Workforce Committee

Related & companion bills 1

Bill text 2 versions

Introduced in House Formatted Text PDF Formatted XML
Reported in House Formatted Text PDF Formatted XML

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

Committees of jurisdiction 1

Education and Workforce Committee
House of Representatives

Lobbying activity 23

Registered lobbyists who named this bill in their disclosure filings. Source: federal Lobbying Disclosure Act filings.

CAPITOL ADVOCACY PARTNERS
for CENTER FOR LEARNER EQUITY (NATIONAL CENTER FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION IN CHARTER SCHO · New York · 3rd Quarter 2026 (July 1 - Sep 30)
CAPITOL ADVOCACY PARTNERS
for NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CHARTER SCHOOL AUTHORIZERS · Illinois · 3rd Quarter 2026 (July 1 - Sep 30)
THEGROUP DC, LLC
for NATIONAL ALLIANCE FOR PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOLS · District of Columbia · 3rd Quarter 2026 (July 1 - Sep 30)
NATIONAL ALLIANCE FOR PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOLS
for NATIONAL ALLIANCE FOR PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOLS · District of Columbia · 3rd Quarter 2026 (July 1 - Sep 30)
PENN HILL GROUP
for NATIONAL ALLIANCE FOR PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOLS · District of Columbia · 3rd Quarter 2026 (July 1 - Sep 30)
NATIONAL PARENTS UNION ACTION FUND INC.
for NATIONAL PARENTS UNION ACTION FUND INC. · Massachusetts · 3rd Quarter 2026 (July 1 - Sep 30)

Bodies those filers lobbied

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
23 filings
SENATE
23 filings
Education, Dept of
13 filings
Labor, Dept of (DOL)
4 filings
Agriculture, Dept of (USDA)
2 filings
White House Office
2 filings
Housing & Urban Development, Dept of (HUD)
1 filing
Natl Labor Relations Board (NLRB)
1 filing

A filing lists the bills it worked on and the parts of government it contacted in separate sections, so these are the bodies those filers named anywhere in the filing, not a per-bill breakdown.

See all 23 filings →

Cosponsors 6