HRES 569 is a non-binding House resolution affirming that diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) are fundamental U.S. values and emphasizing the need to address ongoing discrimination in workplaces, schools, government programs, the military, and society. It does not create new laws but calls on federal, state, local governments, educational institutions, and businesses to adopt DEIA initiatives to remove barriers faced by marginalized groups, including Black, Latino, AANHPI, Indigenous, women, LGBTQI+, and disabled individuals. The resolution cites data showing persistent discrimination - such as wage gaps, housing segregation, health care disparities, and underrepresentation in leadership - to underscore how systemic inequities cost the economy trillions and limit opportunity. It encourages organizations to foster inclusive environments where all people can achieve their potential, without prescribing specific policy changes.
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People with Disabilities
The Jobs in the Woods Act establishes a federal grant program to fund career training in forestry operations and products industries. It provides competitive grants (ranging from $500,000 to $2 million over up to 4 years) to eligible entities like nonprofits, states, tribes, or community colleges in targeted rural areas. These areas must be nonmetropolitan low-income communities, have broadband access, or have populations under 50,000. Grants require applicants to demonstrate regional need, plan for program sustainability, partner with schools, and address aging workforces or youth migration. The program is funded at $10 million annually from 2026 through 2030.
The PROSPECT Act creates federal grants to provide free, high-quality infant and toddler child care for student parents attending community colleges and minority-serving institutions. It authorizes four types of grants: planning grants to assess child care needs, access grants to provide direct child care (with a goal of serving 500,000 children), impact grants to expand community child care capacity, and pipeline grants to develop child care worker training programs. The access grants require child care centers to provide nontraditional hours, support for dual language learners, and ensure staff wages are comparable to elementary educators. The bill aims to reduce barriers to education completion for student parents, who are nearly twice as likely to leave college before graduating compared to students without children. The legislation includes detailed reporting requirements on student persistence rates, child care access, and demographic data to track the program's impact.
This bill amends federal grant provisions to increase funding and clarify terms for Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-serving agricultural education institutions. It extends the maximum grant period from unspecified to three years and adjusts funding levels, increasing annual support to $15 million per year from fiscal years 2027 through 2031 (up from $10 million annually in prior years). The changes directly affect institutions designated as serving Alaska Native or Native Hawaiian students in agricultural education programs. The policy update ensures stable, long-term funding for these institutions to support student enrollment and program development.
HR 4020 authorizes the Department of Defense Education Activity (DODEA) to partner with colleges and universities, allowing students in DODEA schools (which serve military-connected children, including those overseas) to take college courses while still in high school. The bill enables dual enrollment programs where students earn both high school and college credits, with the government covering associated costs through financial assistance. Key provisions require formal agreements between DODEA and higher education institutions, ensuring courses align with both high school graduation requirements and college degree pathways. This directly affects DODEA students in 150+ schools globally, providing early college access without requiring prior high school graduation.
HRES 66 is a non-binding resolution affirming the U.S. government's leadership in global education. It calls on the State Department and USAID to prioritize quality, inclusive public education for girls, children with disabilities, and children in crisis settings, while integrating education into humanitarian responses. The resolution urges these agencies to meet existing commitments to international education programs and advance learning outcomes for marginalized youth worldwide. It does not create new laws or funding but emphasizes coordination across U.S. government agencies to support global education efforts.
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Children
This bill amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Higher Education Act to specifically address antisemitic harassment at colleges and universities receiving federal funding. It adds "religion" to protected categories under Title VI, defines antisemitism (including harassment targeting Jewish individuals or institutions), and requires schools to actively prevent such discrimination. Schools found violating these provisions face escalating fines (10% for second violations, 33% for third within five years) of their federal funding, plus mandatory notifications to students and staff. The law emphasizes enforcing existing civil rights protections against antisemitism "no less vigorously" than other discrimination, without creating new legal standards or infringing on First Amendment rights.
The CONSTRUCTS Act of 2025 creates a federal grant program to fund training programs at community colleges and career schools focused on residential construction careers. It targets rural areas and underserved populations - including veterans, low-income individuals, and groups with historically low representation in construction - to develop skills in trades like carpentry, plumbing, electrical work, and HVAC. Grants, totaling $20 million annually from 2026-2030, require flexible scheduling, partnerships with construction employers, and plans to increase affordable housing supply through workforce development. The bill directly affects community colleges in rural or underserved regions and their students seeking residential construction careers.
Head Start Shutdown Protection Act of 2025 This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to reimburse a state, local government, or school district that uses its funds to maintain participation in the Head Start program or the Early Head Start program during a government shutdown in which there is a lapse in federal appropriations for the programs. The Head Start programs provide comprehensive early childhood education and development services to low-income children. The programs seek to promote school readiness through the provision of educational, health, nutritional, social, and other services.
This bill creates "Military Education Savings Accounts" that would provide eligible military children with funds for educational expenses. The program would give parents of military dependents (children of active-duty service members who attended public school for 100+ consecutive days the previous year) up to $6,000 in the first year, with annual increases based on inflation. Parents could use these funds for private school tuition, tutoring, online learning, educational materials, and other approved educational expenses, but not for public school full-time enrollment. The program would prioritize accounts for siblings of previously enrolled children, then children of enlisted members, warrant officers, and finally commissioned officers, with accounts terminating when children turn 22 (or 26 for those with disabilities) or enroll full-time in public school.
