This bill, known as the Alice Cogswell and Anne Sullivan Macy Act, amends the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to improve special education services for children who are deaf, hard of hearing, deafdisabled, blind, visually impaired, or deafblind. It requires states to identify these students regardless of how they are currently classified, ensuring they receive specialized instruction in their primary language and access to qualified professionals. Key provisions mandate that state plans include specific strategies for language development, Braille instruction, and the use of assistive technologies, while also establishing a new national center to support research and training for educators of students with visual disabilities. Additionally, the legislation clarifies definitions for deafblindness and interveners, updates data reporting requirements to track these populations more accurately, and ensures early intervention services are delivered in natural environments to support language and communication milestones.
This bill amends the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to allow the Secretary of Education to extend paperwork reduction waivers for states that are struggling with administrative burdens. Under the new provisions, the Secretary can grant multiple extensions of these waivers, with each extension lasting up to four years. The change directly affects state education agencies that currently hold waivers to reduce reporting requirements for special education services, giving them the option to extend these relief periods rather than facing stricter compliance deadlines.
The Strengthening Educator Workforce Data Act requires the Department of Education to collect and publish detailed statistics on the experience, licensing, and demographics of public school teachers and principals. This new data will include specific metrics such as the number of full-time staff, their years of experience broken down into categories, and whether they hold full state certification or specialized credentials in subjects like math and special education. The bill mandates that this information be disaggregated by race, ethnicity, and sex, and presented in an accessible report with visual aids to help identify workforce trends across different states. Additionally, the legislation ensures that while data is made public, the privacy of individual educators is protected by keeping personally identifiable information confidential. These changes will apply to all future civil rights data collections conducted by the Department of Education.
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.
The "Funding Early Childhood is the Right IDEA Act" proposes to increase authorized funding for specific programs under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This bill sets new appropriation levels for Part C of IDEA, which provides early intervention services for infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families. It also increases authorized funding for Section 619 of IDEA, which supports preschool special education for children aged three to five. These funding authorizations are scheduled for fiscal years 2027 through 2031, directly affecting children with disabilities and the state and local agencies that provide these services.
This bill establishes the Addressing Teacher Shortages Act of 2026, which creates a federal grant program to help schools and districts prepare and retain educators in under-resourced and underserved communities. The program provides competitive grants to eligible entities for activities such as teaching residency programs, mentor teacher initiatives, Grow Your Own programs that recruit local community members, and 2+2 partnerships between community colleges and universities. Grant funds are specifically reserved to address shortages in rural areas, high-need subject areas like STEM and special education, and to diversify the teaching workforce. Recipients must provide matching funds and submit detailed reports on retention rates, licensure pass rates, and the percentage of teachers from underrepresented groups. The program authorizes funding from fiscal years 2027 through 2032 and includes provisions for planning grants for entities that have not previously received support.
This bill authorizes federal grants to establish a national education protection and advocacy program that supports organizations enforcing the rights of students with disabilities under key federal laws. The program would provide funding to existing protection and advocacy systems to monitor educational settings, advocate for safe conditions, and pursue legal remedies for violations of student rights. Grants would be distributed based on state populations with minimum amounts guaranteed for each state and territory, and recipients would not be required to provide matching funds. The legislation requires systems receiving funds to submit annual reports and use the grants to supplement rather than replace existing services.
The RISE Act (HR 3939) streamlines documentation for college students with disabilities by requiring institutions to accept multiple forms of proof, including past Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), Section 504 plans, or licensed professional evaluations, instead of demanding current documentation. It mandates that colleges establish transparent, accessible processes for determining accommodation eligibility and share these policies with students, parents, and faculty. The bill also requires institutions to report specific data on students with disabilities (like enrollment numbers and accommodations used) to federal databases, while authorizing $10 million for a national support center. These changes directly affect colleges receiving federal aid and students seeking disability accommodations in higher education.
HR 1570, the Empowering Families in Special Education Act, requires schools to notify parents before the first annual IEP meeting that they may invite additional individuals with knowledge or expertise about their child (such as related services staff) to join the IEP team. This change directly affects parents of children with disabilities and the local educational agencies (schools) responsible for developing IEPs. The key mechanism adds a specific notification requirement to IDEA, mandating that schools inform parents "within a reasonable timeframe" prior to the first meeting about this option. The bill makes no changes to IEP content or funding, only clarifying the process for parent involvement in team composition.
HR 3566, the ANCHOR for Military Families Act, requires the Department of Defense to provide military members and their families with comprehensive relocation assistance information at least 45 days before a permanent change of station. The bill mandates that this information cover educational resources for children (including school transitions, special education, and Individualized Education Programs), housing options, mental health support, spouse employment assistance, and legal/financial counseling. It directs the Secretary of Defense to integrate these details into accessible briefings, online resources, and materials at military installations. The law also requires annual reports to Congress on implementation progress and family awareness of available support programs. This bill directly affects active-duty service members and their families facing relocation due to military orders.
