Federal Legislative Report (119-06)

Delivered via email: August 29, 2025
 

Federal Congressional August Recess

The U.S. House and Senate are not in session this month for the annual August Recess. However, shortly before the Senate concluded its business (and after IASB sent the July Federal Report), the Senate Appropriations Committee reported the FY 2026 Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations legislation discussed below.
 

Federal Education Funding Update

On July 31 the Senate Appropriations Committee approved the Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations bill by a bipartisan vote of 26-3. The bill:

• Increases funding for Title I and IDEA by $50 million. Importantly, the bill rejects the block grant approach and 15% reduction for Department of Education programs contained in the President’s budget and funds most areas at previous year levels.
• Includes new requirements that the Department of Education maintain the staff necessary to ensure it carries out its statutory responsibilities. The bill also requires the Department to make formula grants available to states and districts on time.
• Includes language to prevent the Department from moving the administration of IDEA and Title I grants to other federal agencies.

The legislation still needs to be passed by the full Senate. The House Appropriations Committee will not mark up its version until September and it remains to be seen how closely it will adhere to the President’s Budget Request. Annual Appropriations legislation must be completed by September 30 to begin the 2026 Fiscal Year on October 1, 2025.
 

Recent IASB Federal Update Webinar

The IASB Governmental Relations team hosted a webinar, Legislative Hot Topics: Federal Updates, on Thursday, August 28. If you missed the webinar or want to watch it again, the recording is available on the IASB's Online Learning page. This webinar offered members an opportunity to learn about key federal funding programs for schools, updates on 2025 and 2026 federal funding and new budget reconciliation changes, a discussion of key Supreme Court decisions, and tips on how to effectively advocate for your district with federal legislators.
 

Links

2025 House Calendar
U.S. Department of Education
U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
U.S. House Committee on Education and Labor
U.S. Senate Budget Committee
U.S. House Budget Committee
Congressional Budget Office (CBO)
Federal Legislative Information