The Rehabilitation of Historic Schools Act of 2026 allows public school buildings to qualify for federal tax credits when they are rehabilitated, provided the buildings were used as public schools for five years before and after the renovation. This change removes a previous restriction that had excluded public educational facilities from receiving these financial incentives. The bill requires the Treasury Department to report data on the number of rehabilitated schools, student enrollment, and renovation costs to Congress within five years of enactment. These provisions apply to properties placed in service after the law is passed, aiming to encourage the preservation and repair of historic public school infrastructure.
The Scratch Cooked Meals for Students Act of 2026 creates a five-year pilot program to provide grants to school districts that prepare meals using unprocessed or minimally processed ingredients. To receive funding, schools must apply and prioritize those serving low-income students and those committed to self-operation or collective bargaining agreements. The grants cover costs for staff training, kitchen equipment, employee wages, and technology, while recipients must work with a technical assistance center to create implementation plans. Schools receiving the money will report on their progress by tracking the percentage of whole ingredients used and the number of scratch-cooked menu items served. The program is authorized to receive $20 million annually from fiscal years 2027 through 2031.
The Early Childhood Workforce Advancement Act of 2026 authorizes competitive grants to help partnerships create or expand training programs for early childhood education careers. These grants are intended for groups that include colleges, child care providers, and local businesses to work together on education and training initiatives. The funds can be used to develop educational materials, support student recruitment and retention, provide work-based learning experiences, and offer professional development for teachers and staff. Priority is given to applicants serving rural and urban areas, particularly those addressing documented shortages of child care providers and focusing on infants, toddlers, and children with disabilities. Recipients must submit detailed applications and annual reports to demonstrate how the programs benefit students and improve outcomes in the workforce.
The CREATE AI Act establishes the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource, a centralized system designed to connect U.S. researchers and educators with advanced computational tools, data, software, and educational materials. Managed by the National Science Foundation, this resource will be built by coordinating contributions from federal agencies, state governments, and private organizations to support artificial intelligence research and workforce development. Access to these tools is primarily reserved for eligible U.S.-based universities, nonprofits, government entities, and small businesses, with a specific provision to exclude individuals employed by designated foreign countries. The bill also outlines a flexible fee structure that includes a free tier for users, mandates the use of open-source software where possible, and requires annual public reporting on the resource's progress.
The Improving Financial Aid Offers for Students Act requires colleges and universities receiving federal funds to provide clearer, more detailed financial aid documents to prospective and enrolled students. To achieve this, the bill mandates that these offers include specific, plain-language information on total costs, grants, scholarships, loans, and the estimated amount a family must pay, while also offering a standardized model form developed through public testing. Institutions must use consistent terminology and clearly separate different types of aid to help students better understand their financial obligations and available resources. The law also requires the Department of Education to publish these forms and conduct studies to ensure the documents effectively assist students in making informed decisions.
This bill, known as the Precision Agriculture Workforce Training and Development Act, aims to expand educational programs that prepare students for careers in precision agriculture. It directly affects universities, research institutions, and public or private partners by authorizing new grants to support workforce training initiatives. The legislation modifies existing federal funding rules to explicitly include cooperative education programs focused on improving skills in modern farming technologies. By adding these specific categories to research and extension grants, the bill ensures that financial resources are available for developing specialized training partnerships.
The Saving Lives on Campuses Act of 2026 requires public colleges and universities receiving federal funding to provide opioid overdose rescue kits across their campuses. These kits, which contain naloxone or similar FDA-approved medications, must be placed in classrooms, libraries, dormitories, and other student facilities, often near automated external defibrillators. Institutions are also tasked with registering kit locations, replacing expired supplies, and training new students on how to find and use them. The law aims to increase access to life-saving treatment for opioid overdoses by ensuring these medical supplies are readily available in high-traffic campus areas.
The Supporting the Mental Health of Educators and Staff Act of 2026 aims to improve the well-being of teachers and school employees by establishing federal programs and sharing best practices. The bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services to create an awareness initiative to reduce stigma around seeking mental health care and to distribute evidence-based strategies for preventing suicide and promoting resiliency. It authorizes $45 million over three years to fund grants for schools and universities to implement new mental health programs, offer peer support, and provide professional training on addressing mental health needs. Additionally, the legislation requires the government to conduct a comprehensive review of these efforts and report findings to Congress within two years.
The No Antisemitism in Education Act of 2026 requires schools and universities receiving federal funds to treat antisemitism with the same seriousness as other forms of discrimination prohibited by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. Under this law, institutions must use the official definition of antisemitism found in a prior presidential executive order to investigate complaints and enforce their own policies. The bill explicitly states that these requirements do not violate free speech rights or override existing state laws, ensuring that Jewish students and staff are protected from harassment and exclusion on campus.
The Strengthening Educator Workforce Data Act requires the U.S. Department of Education to collect and publish detailed information about public school teachers and principals. This new data will include the number of full-time staff, their years of experience broken down into specific categories, and details on whether they hold required state licenses and certifications in subjects like math, science, and special education. The collected information will be further analyzed by race, ethnicity, and sex to reveal patterns in the educator workforce, with results presented in accessible formats such as graphs and percentages. To protect individual privacy, the bill mandates that the department keep personally identifiable information confidential while making the underlying data publicly available online. These changes will apply to all future civil rights data collections conducted by the Department of Education.
