This week was very busy on the Hill as the House finished up work before their five-week August Recess that begins on Monday. The Senate has two more weeks in session before they begin their recess on August 8. Before leaving town, the House did pass a continuing resolution that would fund the government through December 4, already anticipating that appropriations bills will not be able to be passed in time. The Senate is aiming to consider their own version of this bill before their recess begins in August. The House also passed the annual defense policy package, a budget reconciliation package including defense spending and agriculture assistance and a ban on lawmakers trading stocks to wrap up the week. Read more policy updates below.   

• Bipartisan Senate Bill Aims to Prohibit Inter-Agency Agreements: The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee has scheduled a markup next week of a newly introduced bill, S.5046, which prohibits the Education Department (ED) from transferring offices that oversee special education, postsecondary education, elementary and secondary education and Native American education programs to other agencies. We continue to share with Congress ongoing concerns about the IAA that moved administration of Perkins to the Department of Labor, and thus the need to protect the Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education as well.   

• House Committee on Education and Workforce Markup: On July 21, the House Committee on Education and Workforce approved of 10 bills that can now advance to the House floor. Several education bills were included, with a focus on defining AI’s role in K-12 classrooms and modernizing workforce systems. H.R. 8747, the K-12 AI Literacy and Readiness Act, allows schools to flexibly use federal funds to prepare students and educators to use AI tools safely and effectively. H.R. 8183, also known as the MATCH Act, provides a funding and legal framework for states to modernize and integrate their workforce data systems.   

• Florida Board of Education Approves Henry Mack to be Florida Education Commissioner: On July 22, Dr. Henry Mack was unanimously approved as Florida’s next commissioner of education by the State Board of Education. Dr. Mack, who is currently serving as assistant secretary of the Employment and Training Administration at DOL (the agency administering Perkins funding under the interagency agreement), worked at the Florida Department of Education from 2019 to 2023. We will share information on a replacement at DOL as soon as it is announced. 

• House Education and Workforce Committee Holds Field Hearing on AI: On July 24, the House Education and Workforce Committee held a hearing in Augusta, GA,  titled, “Building an AI-Ready America: How AI Is Creating Opportunities Across America’s Workforce.” A recording of the hearing can be found here.  

• ED Repeals Methods of Administration Program: On July 22, the Office of Civil Rights issued a final rule that would eliminate the Methods of Administration (MOA) program, which required state agencies to create plans and conduct reviews to ensure CTE programs comply with federal civil rights laws.  

• ED Removes Disparate-Impact from Title VI Regulations: On July 23, ED’s Office for Civil Rights announced they would be rescinding several disparate-impact provisions from their regulations implementing Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. These provisions protect students against institutional policies that disparately impact minority groups. Inside Higher Ed covered this announcement here.   

• Judge Rules that Federal Officials Cannot Terminate Grants Due to Differing Government Priorities: On July 17, a federal judge ruled that federal agencies cannot terminate previously awarded grants based on their misalignment with agency priorities. The court order only applies to the 23 states that sued.  

• Rep. Scott Hosts Event on Adult Education Transfer to DOL: On July 16, Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA), ranking member of the House Education and Workforce Committee, hosted an event on the transfer of Adult Education and Family Literacy programs from ED to the Department of Labor (DOL). A recording of the event can be found here.