This bill directs the Secretary of Education to create and share evidence-based model plans for mental health and suicide prevention specifically for colleges and universities. In partnership with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the government will provide technical assistance to schools that wish to adopt these models, while also considering existing state efforts and collaborating with various community and student groups. The legislation requires regular updates to these model plans every five years and mandates periodic reports to Congress on the program's progress. Importantly, the bill clarifies that these measures are voluntary guidelines and do not impose new legal requirements on higher education institutions.
The Indigenous Students Excel through Parity Act of 2026 directs the Secretary of the Interior to conduct two studies aimed at improving funding and staffing for Bureau-funded and tribally controlled schools. The first study will examine how to update the Indian School Equalization Formula to ensure teacher and staff salaries match the highest rates found in public schools or the Department of Defense, while also considering specific needs of small and rural schools. The second study will explore potential revenue sources to bring these schools into financial parity with other school systems. Both studies must be completed within one year of the bill's enactment, and their findings will be reported to Congress and made public.
The Community Schools and Health Equity Act establishes a competitive grant program led by the Department of Education to fund school-based health services in community schools. Eligible recipients, such as local school districts and community partnerships, can use these funds to hire staff like nurses and social workers, provide wraparound support including nutrition and housing assistance, and address social determinants of health. The legislation prioritizes grants for schools serving high numbers of low-income students, English learners, and families in medically underserved areas. To ensure accountability, grantees must annually report on student outcomes and health impacts, while the Education and Health and Human Services Secretaries must coordinate to reduce administrative burdens and share technical assistance.
The SAFE KIDS Act requires companies providing AI chatbots to verify user ages, conduct regular safety risk assessments, and implement specific safeguards to protect children from harms such as self-harm, sexual exploitation, and manipulative design. Providers must offer robust parental controls that allow parents to limit usage, restrict data collection, and receive notifications if their child encounters dangerous content or expresses suicidal ideation. The legislation also prohibits targeting children with advertisements or selling their personal information without explicit parental consent, while mandating annual independent audits to ensure compliance. Enforcement of these rules will be handled by the Federal Trade Commission, which has the authority to impose civil penalties for violations.
The Pell Grant Preservation and Expansion Act of 2026 aims to increase financial aid for college students by raising the maximum Pell Grant amount to $15,000 by the 2031-2032 award year and ensuring the program is fully funded through mandatory spending rather than annual appropriations. The bill also expands eligibility for students who receive means-tested government benefits by automatically assigning them a lower financial need score, while simultaneously allowing Dreamer students - undocumented immigrants who meet specific criteria such as graduating high school or serving in the military - to qualify for federal aid. Additional provisions restore the total number of semesters a student can receive Pell Grants from 12 to 18 and adjust the rules for satisfactory academic progress to reduce penalties for students who struggle to meet grade requirements. Finally, the legislation restores Pell Grant eligibility for some students who previously received outside scholarships and sets the law's effective date for July 1, 2026.
The COMPASS Act expands protections for military families by updating the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to address homeschooling requirements during permanent moves. It ensures that a military child's home education is considered compliant with the laws of their new location if they were already following the rules of their legal residence state. This change aims to reduce administrative burdens and prevent conflicting state regulations from penalizing families when they relocate due to military orders. By clarifying these rules, the bill seeks to support family stability and ensure uninterrupted schooling for military-connected students.
The Parent PLUS Loan Fairness and Responsibility Act of 2026 allows parents to transfer their existing federal student loans directly to their adult children under specific conditions. To qualify for this transfer, the loan must be in good standing, have been used for the child's education, and the child must be at least 18 years old with demonstrated ability to repay based on income and credit history. Once transferred, the child becomes the sole borrower responsible for the debt, while the parent is relieved of all repayment obligations and the loan retains its original terms and forgiveness eligibility. The bill also ensures that payments made before the transfer count toward Public Service Loan Forgiveness and that the transferred amount does not affect the child's future borrowing limits.
This bill directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to require public institutions of higher education receiving Medical Student Education grants to include menopause training in their medical school curricula. The key provision makes this specific training a mandatory condition for receiving federal funding, aiming to better prepare physicians across all specialties to care for patients experiencing menopause. By tying the requirement directly to grant eligibility, the legislation ensures that public medical schools must integrate this topic into their existing programs.
This bill creates a new federal Department of Advanced Technology and Artificial Intelligence led by a Secretary appointed by the President. The department's main goal is to develop a unified national strategy for using artificial intelligence across all government agencies, including setting safety standards and managing research funding. It also aims to improve AI literacy in schools, protect workers from job displacement, and establish systems for reporting cybersecurity incidents related to AI. Additionally, the bill requires a government report within 180 days to assess current AI regulations and recommend updates to federal laws regarding privacy, safety, and misinformation.
This bill requires states and tribal organizations that run school lunch programs to also participate in the Summer EBT program, which provides food assistance to children during summer breaks. For the summers of 2024 through 2026, participation in the summer program remains voluntary for these entities. Starting in summer 2027, joining the summer program becomes mandatory for any state or tribal organization that already participates in the school lunch program. The legislation also updates administrative rules to ensure states submit management plans for these programs by specific deadlines each year.