House Panel Advances 10 Bills to Shift Education Programs to Other Agencies

The House Education and Workforce Committee advanced 10 bills on July 15 that would permanently shift selected U.S. Department of Education responsibilities to other federal agencies if enacted.

The committee action is an important step in the administration’s effort to reorganize federal education programs, but it did not change federal law. The bills still would need consideration by the full House and Senate, followed by presidential approval, before any statutory transfers could take effect.

What the committee approved

The full committee markup covered legislation involving workforce development, student aid, K-12 education, higher education, foreign-gift reporting, international education oversight, foreign medical accreditation, child care for student parents, family engagement and tribal education.

Committee records show that all 10 measures were reported. Final votes generally followed party-line margins, including 19-16 votes on several bills and 20-16 or 20-15 votes on others. The package includes H.R. 9607, the Less Bureaucracy, Better Workforce Development Act; H.R. 9609, the Less Bureaucracy, Better Student Aid Act; H.R. 9610, the Less Bureaucracy, Better K-12 Education Act; and H.R. 9611, the Less Bureaucracy, Better Higher Education Act.

Which programs could move

Education Week reported that two of the measures would place many major K-12 programs under the Labor Department, including Title I formula grants for disadvantaged students and career and technical education programs.

Another bill would direct the Treasury Department to manage the federal student loan program. Selected competitive grants involving family engagement and school-related social services could move to the Department of Health and Human Services. Other bills address oversight of foreign gifts, international education, foreign medical schools, child care for student parents and tribal education.

The proposals would make statutory changes rather than relying only on interagency agreements. Under the administration’s existing agreements, the education secretary retains ultimate decision-making authority even when another agency handles day-to-day management. If the bills become law, authority over covered programs would shift to the heads of the receiving agencies.

What has not changed

Committee passage did not abolish the Education Department, immediately transfer program authority or guarantee that the proposals will become law. The package also does not cover every recent administrative change. Education Week reported that some moves involving civil-rights enforcement and special education were not included in the legislation.

For school districts, colleges, parents, students and federal student-loan borrowers, the immediate effect is mainly uncertainty about the next stage of the process. Existing programs are not automatically moved because the committee reported the bills.

What to watch next

The next decision points are whether House leaders schedule the measures for floor consideration, whether the bills are revised, and whether Senate committees take them up. Senate procedural requirements could also become a significant hurdle.

Readers should watch for House floor votes, Senate action, changes to the bill text and any implementation language. Until Congress passes the legislation and the president signs it, the proposed transfers remain proposals rather than completed changes to federal education administration.

Sources

• House Education and Workforce Committee markup record
• Education Week analysis of proposed program transfers