This legislation, known as the SOAR Permanent Authorization Act, significantly amends the Scholarships for Opportunity and Results (SOAR) Act, which governs the D.C. opportunity scholarship program. Its primary goal is to provide permanent authorization for the program and introduce several key operational and financial adjustments. The bill extends the duration of grants, allowing for initial 5-year terms with an option for an additional 5-year renewal without a competitive process. It also broadens the residency requirement for eligible entity board members from solely the District of Columbia to include the entire Washington metropolitan region . Furthermore, the legislation updates school accreditation requirements, distinguishing between existing and new participating schools. Regarding the use of funds, the bill expands eligibility to include pre-kindergarten students and allocates funds for additional student academic assistance, specifically tutoring services , prioritizing students from the lowest-performing schools. The amount available for these support services is increased from $2,000,000 to $2,200,000, and eligible entities gain the authority to set maximum scholarship amounts below the permitted maximum. Significant changes are also made to the program's evaluation and reporting mechanisms. The Institute of Education Sciences will now conduct evaluations and issue public reports every seven years, starting in 2028, focusing on the academic progress , high school graduation rates, and college outcomes of scholarship recipients compared to public school students. Finally, the bill substantially increases the annual authorization of appropriations for the SOAR Act from $60,000,000 to $75,000,000 , effective for fiscal year 2027 and subsequent years.