Last Week in Congress (3/9–3/13/26)
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.
The Senate continued its scrutiny of foreign financial relationships with American universities during a HELP Committee hearing last week, during which lawmakers raised concerns that foreign governments – particularly China – may use university partnerships and research funding to gain access to sensitive technologies and intellectual property. Committee members expressed that the openness of universities, while a strength, may create vulnerabilities for foreign exploitation of research and talent pipelines. The hearing came just weeks after the Department of Education released its new HEA Section 117 reporting portal and announced the transfer of the 117 program to the State Department.
· H.R. 7878 (Larson, D-CT), the Segal AmeriCorps Educational Award Tax Relief Act of 2026, to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide an exclusion from gross income for AmeriCorps educational awards (Ways and Means).
· H.R. 7880 (Massie, R-KY), the Interstate Milk Freedom Act of 2026, to prohibit Federal interference with the interstate traffic of unpasteurized milk and milk products that are packaged for direct human consumption (Energy and Commerce).
· H.R. 7883 (Stevens, D-MI), to support the preparation and retention of outstanding educators in all fields to ensure a bright future for children and youth in under-resourced and underserved communities in the United States (Education and Workforce).
· H.R. 7885 (Thompson, R-PA), to direct the Secretary of Education to establish a pilot program to award competitive grants for the integration of cybersecurity (Education and Workforce).
· H.R. 7890 (Houchin, R-IN), the Science of Reading At of 2026, to amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to exclude certain instructional approaches from comprehensive literacy instruction, and to prioritize certain funds to promote the use of evidence-based literacy instruction and supports aligned to the science of reading (Education and Workforce).
· H.R. 7891 (Thompson, R-PA), the Student Aid Fraud Oversight and Accountability Act of 2026, to amend section 498A of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require the Secretary of Education to prioritize program reviews of institutions of higher education that disburse Federal financial aid under title IV of such Act without verifying the identity of a student whose FAFSA presents a reasonable suspicion of identity fraud (Education and Workforce).
· H.R. 7892 (Owens, R-UT), the No Aid for Ghost Students Act of 2026, to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require the Secretary of Education to use an identity fraud detection system to review each FAFSA to determine whether the FAFSA presents a reasonable suspicion of identity fraud (Education and Workforce).
· H.R. 7893 (Walberg, R-MI), the FAFSA Verification Efficiency Act, to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to improve the process for the verification of social security numbers required to be provided to the Secretary of Education for Federal student aid (Education and Workforce).
· H.R. 7894 (Stefanik, R-NY), the Truman Scholarship Clean House Act, to make improvements to the Harry S Truman Memorial Scholarship Act (Education and Workforce).
· H.R. 7908 (Kiggans, R-VA), to amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for an additional 36 months of entitlement to educational assistance for individuals who serve 20 or more years in the Armed Forces (Veterans’ Affairs).
· H.R. 7910 (Larson, D-CT), to establish an AmeriCorps Administration to carry out the national and volunteer service programs and to expand participation in such programs (Education and Workforce; Ways and Means).
· H.R. 7913 (McClain Delaney, D-MD), to amend the Food and Agriculture Act of 1977 to reauthorize grants and fellowships for food and agricultural sciences education (Agriculture).
· H.R. 7918 (Owens, R-UT), to establish an alternative use of certain Federal education funds when in-person instruction is not available (Education and Workforce).
· S. 4205 (Smith, D-MN), to support the preparation and retention of outstanding educators in all fields to ensure a bright future for children and youth in under-resourced and underserved communities in the United States (Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions).
· S. 4028 (Kim, D-NJ), to expand equitable access to developmentally-appropriate literacy materials, programs, and family engagement in reading, especially in underserved communities, and strengthen the connection between literacy and long-term academic and economic success (Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions).
· S. 4030 (Shaheen, D-NH), to provide out-of-school time educators with professional development in STEM subjects (Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions).
· S. 4039 (Alsobrooks, D-MD), to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to reduce the reductions in Federal loan availability for graduate and professional students enacted under Public Law 119-21 (Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions).
· S. 4047 (Scott, R-SC), to establish an alternative use of certain Federal education funds when in-person instruction is not available (Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions).
· S. 4054 (Kim, D-NJ), to amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to expand the American history and civics education activities (Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions).
· S. 4056 (Durbin, D-IL), to establish the Proprietary Education Interagency Oversight Committee and to facilitate the disclosure and reporting of information regarding complaints and investigations related to proprietary institutions of higher education eligible to receive Federal education assistance (Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions).
· S. 4057 (Kim, D-NJ), to establish a congressional commission on American civics renewal (Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions).
· S. 4058 (Kim, D-NJ), to authorize the National Foundation for the Arts and the National Foundation for the Humanities to support activities for the purpose of broadening public understanding of civics and the United States Constitution (Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions).
· S. 4061 (Banks, R-IN), to amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require local educational agencies to include mental health and suicide prevention information on student identification cards (Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions).
· S. 4068 (Reed, D-RI), to establish an AmeriCorps Administration to carry out the national and volunteer service programs (Finance).
· S. 4087 (Murkowski, R-AK), to exempt public school employees from non-processing related fees for H-1B visas imposed by Presidential Proclamation 10973 (Judiciary).
· On March 10, the Senate Committee on the Budget held a hearing to examine sanctuary cities, focusing on law and order.
· On March 11, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions reported S. 1602 (Hassan, D-NH), the Mathematical and Statistical Modeling Education Act, to coordinate federal research and development efforts focused on modernizing mathematics in STEM education through mathematical and statistical modeling, including data-driven and computational thinking, problem, project, and performance-based learning and assessment, interdisciplinary exploration, and career connections. The bill was reported without amendment and placed on the legislative calendar.
· On March 12, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions held a hearing to examine transparency and trust, focusing on foreign influence in higher education.