An update will be shared every week that Congress is in session. This will include a short summary of the past week in Congress, as well as a listing of all education-related bills introduced in the House and Senate, relevant Committee and Floor activity, and education-related hearings.
With not much happening in Congress-land (still waiting on you, Senate Appropriations Committee!), we’re keeping ourselves busy by throwing our Magic 8-Ball against the wall and guessing at what comes next. Politico reported today that if (and that’s a big if) the Senate flips, Senator Bernie Sanders will likely take the reins of the Senate HELP Committee. In the education sphere, that would mean an increased focus on reducing costs for students and improving things (gestures broadly) for teachers. Sanders has long advocated for higher teacher pay and tuition-free public four-year colleges.
Regardless of what happens on November 3, we’re also preparing to say goodbye to some familiar faces on the Hill. Some will leave behind substantive, if complicated, legislative legacies. Others will be remembered primarily for their talent for generating headlines without the inconvenient burden of accomplishing much.
Representative Nancy Mace appears determined to go out with a bang, introducing yet another eyebrow-raising bill earlier this month that suggests a tenuous grasp of federal education funding and the economies of scale necessary to sustain public school systems. Her School Freedom Act of 2026 (H.R. 10801) would redirect federal elementary and secondary education funds either directly to parents for certain educational expenses or to public schools only with parental approval. The proposal would fundamentally disrupt the way federal education funding flows to states and districts, replacing systems designed to support schools and student populations with an individualized funding model that raises serious questions about administrative feasibility, equitable distribution, and the ability of public schools to maintain essential services.
It's a fitting addition to a legislative portfolio heavily focused on targeting transgender students, immigrants, and diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. During her time in Congress, Mace introduced 192 bills and resolutions. Seven passed the House, and just one became law—to rename a post office. Not exactly a legislative juggernaut, but certainly a prolific producer of press releases.
Senator Bill Cassidy, the current HELP Committee Chair, will also be departing, leaving behind a considerably more nuanced legacy. His leadership has combined genuine engagement—particularly on special education—with bipartisan pragmatism and occasionally contradictory policy positions. A longtime advocate for students with dyslexia and learning disabilities, Cassidy has advanced legislation promoting early literacy, screening, and evidence-based interventions. He has also shown a willingness to challenge the Trump administration, notably opposing the transfer of special education responsibilities to HHS and recognizing the importance of IDEA's educational and civil rights framework. His willingness to advance bipartisan legislation through the Committee, even when he personally opposed it, has been another strength.
At the same time, Cassidy's effectiveness has been uneven. His dyslexia legislation (worth watching for possible inclusion in a larger appropriations package) has drawn substantial criticism from special education researchers and advocates over its approach to eligibility and identification. And while he opposed transferring special education to HHS, he stopped short of supporting broader protections for the Department of Education's special education functions. His leadership has also prioritized targeted reforms over persistent systemic challenges, including IDEA underfunding, workforce shortages, and federal oversight and enforcement. Cassidy leaves behind a record of genuine commitment to improving outcomes for students with disabilities, but a less consistent commitment to protecting the federal infrastructure necessary to guarantee their rights.
In other words, as we look ahead to a potentially reshuffled Congress, the question isn't just who will hold the gavels. It's whether the next round of leadership will turn political priorities into workable education policy—or simply give us more material for the Magic 8-Ball.
· H.R. 10868 (Fuller, R-GA), the Protecting Students from Sexually Explicit Materials Act, to amend the General Education Provisions Act to prohibit the use of Federal education funds for sexually explicit instructional materials in elementary and secondary schools, consistent with the policy objectives of Executive Order 14190 (Education and Workforce).
· H.R. 10895 (Scanlon, D-PA), to direct the Secretary of Education to establish a Civic Education and Service Learning Grant Program (Education and Workforce; House Administration).