HR 4699, the BIKE Act of 2025, requires federal grant funding to support bicycle safety education programs for elementary and secondary school students. It mandates the Secretary of Transportation to revise Highway Safety Program Guideline No. 14 to include specific provisions for teaching bicycling skills, traffic rules, road navigation, safety precautions, and helmet use. The revised guidelines must be developed with input from educators and disseminated to state education agencies for integration into school curricula. This bill directly affects public school students and school districts through new safety education requirements and federal funding opportunities.
This bill transfers approximately 9.89 acres of federal land (historically part of the Albuquerque Indian School and currently managed by the General Services Administration) into trust for the 19 Pueblos of New Mexico (a specific group of 19 Native American tribes). The land, described in three tracts, will be held by the Secretary of the Interior for the tribes' use in education, health, cultural preservation, business, and economic development. The transfer must occur within 90 days of enactment after relocating federal tenants, with a survey to correct minor title errors and an easement allowing federal property retrieval. Gaming is prohibited on the land, and it remains subject to existing encumbrances like easements.
Tags
Tribal Nations
HRES 321 is a symbolic resolution supporting the "Rise Up for LGBTQI+ Youth in Schools Initiative," which calls for communities to demand equal educational opportunities, civil rights protections, and inclusion for LGBTQI+ students in K-12 schools. It urges states and localities to adopt policies prohibiting bias-based discrimination, exclusion, and erasure of LGBTQI+ students - particularly transgender, nonbinary, Black, Indigenous, and disabled youth - while recognizing existing efforts like National Day of Silence. The resolution does not create new laws or allocate funds but formally endorses community-led advocacy to address hostile school environments documented in studies showing discrimination correlates with higher absenteeism, lower grades, and mental health challenges among LGBTQI+ students. It directly affects state education policies and school climates, encouraging local action without federal enforcement.
HR 3250 creates a federal grant program to support the development and adoption of evidence-based innovative learning models in K-12 schools. The bill directly affects the Department of Education's Institute for Education Sciences, state education agencies, and local school districts, which would receive funding to develop, research, and implement these models. Key mechanisms include competitive grants for early development, mid-phase evaluation, and expansion of promising models; requirements that models be evidence-based and developed with school community input; and annual reporting requirements for grantees. The bill prohibits federal mandates on specific learning models while requiring that grant funds supplement rather than replace existing funding. The program is authorized for funding from 2026-2035 (Title I) and 2027-2036 (Title II).
HR 1069, the PROTECT Our Kids Act, prohibits federal funding for elementary and secondary schools that partner with Chinese government-funded programs like Confucius Institutes or Confucius Classrooms. The bill bans funds under applicable federal education programs from schools having such partnerships, effective one year after enactment. Schools with existing contracts before the bill's passage may request waivers by proving the partnership benefits students and supports U.S. security, though waivers expire when contracts end. The law directly affects schools receiving federal education funds and requires schools to comply within 90 days of enactment.
The Expanding Access to Mental Health Services in Schools Act of 2025 creates a federal grant program to help high-need schools hire and retain mental health professionals like counselors, psychologists, and social workers. It targets schools in the top 15% of need (based on student poverty or counts) that lack required staff ratios, such as one counselor per 250 students. Grants fund recruitment incentives (e.g., student loan repayment), retention programs, and evidence-based mental health services, with recipients required to contribute 25% of costs from non-federal funds. Schools must report annually on staff numbers, student-to-staff ratios, and retention rates to track progress toward improved mental health access.
The CONSTRUCTS Act of 2025 establishes a federal grant program to fund training programs for residential construction careers at rural community colleges and similar institutions. It prioritizes serving rural communities and underserved populations - including low-income individuals, veterans, and groups with historically low construction industry employment - through competitive grants. Grantees must create or expand training in specific trades (like carpentry, plumbing, and electrical work), form partnerships with construction businesses to ensure fair wages, and offer flexible scheduling and job placement support. The program authorizes $20 million annually from 2025 to 2029 to increase skilled construction workers and support affordable housing development.
This bill extends funding authorization for the National Sea Grant College Program through fiscal years 2025 to 2031, replacing the previous authorization period of 2021-2025. It directly affects the program’s participating universities and coastal research institutions that receive federal funding for ocean and coastal science, education, and community resilience projects. The key change updates the fiscal year references in the law to ensure continued program operations without altering the program’s scope or funding levels. This is a routine reauthorization to maintain existing program support, not a new policy.
SRES 158 is a non-binding Senate resolution expressing the chamber's view that paraprofessionals (like paraeducators) and education support staff (including clerical, custodial, and food service workers in schools) deserve fair treatment. It outlines specific expectations for their workplaces, such as livable wages, affordable healthcare, job security, paid leave, and meaningful input in school policies - directly affecting over 3 million frontline workers supporting 49 million students. The resolution does not create new laws but urges federal and state action to address current gaps, including ending seasonal layoffs and ensuring access to benefits. It emphasizes these staff’s critical role in school environments while clarifying that it does not override existing collective bargaining agreements.
HR 1649, the Expanding Student Access to Mental Health Services Act, amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to allow states and school districts to use existing federal funds for student mental health services. It directs states to support mental health by identifying best practices for mental health first aid, establishing school emergency response teams, coordinating with local health providers, and expanding telehealth access. School districts must now specify how they will use funds for these mental health activities in their grant applications. The bill also permits schools to use technology infrastructure for mental health services without counting against separate technology funding limits.
