On July 21, the House Committee on Education and Workforce moved 10 bills through markup and to the House floor. Several education bills were included, with a focus on (1) strengthening parental authority, (2) defining AI’s role in K-12 classrooms, and (3) modernizing workforce systems. According to Chairman Tim Walberg (R-MI), these bills aim to advance “commonsense policies that put students, parents, workers, and job creators first.”

Four of the bills stood out to our team:

  • Education and Parental Rights: H.R. 8781 codifies the Supreme Court’s Title IX ruling on sex-based classifications, removing interpretive ambiguity. Definitions are now codified by federal statute, ensuring schools cannot adopt regulations that deviate from statutory definitions. H.R. 4986 requires that schools obtain explicit parental consent for school surveys, evaluations, and assessments involving students’ personal information. 
  • AI in Schools: H.R. 8747 allows schools to flexibly use federal funds to prepare students and educators to use AI tools safely and effectively. Schools have complete discretion to direct resources, with no federal mandate specifying which technologies schools must deploy. 
  • Workforce Modernization: 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—building talent marketplaces that connect workers with jobs and training opportunities by linking education records, training data, and employment outcomes. Rather than prescribing a federal model, states retain autonomy to design bespoke systems. 

What’s Next

These bills addressed several distinct policy landscapes, ranging from Title XI to AI literacy in the classroom. The MATCH Act passed the House committee unanimously, while the other bills fell along party lines. While we don’t know whether the Senate will take any of these bills up, they provide an important barometer for what is top of mind for federal legislators in education.

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