Delivered via email: August 14, 2026
All 17 Illinois Congressional Districts Represented at COSSBA Federal Advocacy Conference
IASB will have its largest group ever at the COSSBA Federal Advocacy Conference September 21-23. More than 40 IASB members from all 17 Illinois Congressional districts will attend this meaningful advocacy opportunity in Washington, D.C. IASB would like to thank its members for their commitment to federal advocacy. The Federal Advocacy Conference is now sold out. If you were not able to attend this year’s event, stay tuned for federal advocacy action items resulting from this year’s gathering and please note that next year’s conference will take place September 19-21, 2027. COSSBA plans to open registration for the event in April of 2027.
FY 2027 Budget
Both the House and Senate passed Continuing Resolutions (CRs), funding the government in place of annual appropriations measures, before leaving for the August Congressional recess. On July 21, the House passed H.R. 9770, a “clean” CR with stable funding for FY 27 through December 4, 2026. The House passed this legislation on a mostly partisan basis, with a few Democrats joining Republicans, resulting in a vote of 220-205. Early on the morning of August 8, the Senate, by a vote of 90-6, passed H.R. 6500 funding the government through December 11, 2026. The Senate CR included provisions requested by the White House that fund various programs differently than in the House legislation. The Senate CR also included language that would delay implementation of the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB’s) Uniform Guidance changes to the federal grant-making process through December 11, 2026. The changes to OMB’s Uniform Guidance, which would allow political appointees to select and deny grant recipients, as well as immediately pause or terminate grants that have already been awarded, are currently scheduled for implementation on October 1, 2026.
Though the House Appropriations Committee has adopted education appropriations legislation for FY 27, the Senate Appropriations Committee has yet to adopt a single FY 27 appropriations measure, making the above CRs essential to avoid a government shutdown on October 1, 2026. As the House and Senate must pass identical versions of the CR, the House is expected to take additional action when returning the week of August 31.
Senate Action
HELP Committee Considers IAA, Dyslexia, and READ Act Legislation
On July 30, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee adopted bipartisan legislation, S. 5046 prohibiting the Department of Education from transferring several offices to other governmental departments. The prohibited transfers included:
- Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services
- Office of Postsecondary Education
- Office of Indian Education
- Office of Elementary and Secondary Education
The affected offices are the subject of Interagency Agreements (IAAs) announced by the Department of Education. The Senate Committee’s action is a direct contradiction to the House Education and Workforce Committee actions taken in July to codify the IAAs announced by the Department. The respective legislation may be utilized to clarify House and Senate intent for a potential provision in the FY 27 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations legislation when it is acted upon by Congress.
The HELP Committee also adopted legislation, the READ Act, which modifies the Comprehensive Literacy State Development (CLSD) grant program by establishing a new reservation of funds to provide grants to eligible low-performing states. States receiving grants must develop or enhance comprehensive literacy instruction plans that ensure high-quality instruction and effective strategies in reading and writing. The House Education and Workforce Committee adopted similar legislation earlier this year, making the legislation’s passage more likely.
The Committee also adopted the 21st Century Dyslexia Act, establishing dyslexia as a specific learning disability under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. This legislation was passed on a mostly partisan basis and has significant opposition due to the method of dyslexia identification in the bill. The House Committee has not yet adopted similar legislation.
Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee adopts Social Media Legislation
On August 5, the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee adopted four pieces of bipartisan legislation to place limits on social media and online platforms as well as AI-generated chatbots. The bills, the Kids Online Safety Act, the CHATBOT Act, the Youth AI Privacy Act, and the Children’s Artificial Intelligence Toy Safety Act, were approved with significant bipartisan support. Of note, the Children’s Artificial Intelligence Toy Safety Act was introduced by Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois. The Senate’s action reflects continued bipartisan, bicameral interest in regulating social media and other online platforms, AI, and student privacy. On June 29, the House of Representatives passed its version of the Kids Internet and Digital Safety, H.R. 7757 by a vote of 267-117. The Senate bills are now cleared for action by the full Senate, which will be followed by negotiations with the House on their related pieces of legislation.
Administrative Action
FCC Opens Comment Period on E-Rate
On August 14, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) officially opened its comment period about whether the E-Rate Program, which helps schools and libraries obtain affordable broadband, should be narrowed, reoriented, or ended. The E-Rate program is the fifth-largest funding stream for schools nationwide and has provided more than $471 million in assistance to Illinois schools and libraries from 2021-2025. Comments will be accepted by the FCC until October 13, 2026. Stay tuned for more information from IASB about how to file comments in support of the E-Rate program.
On August 5, Representative Bill Foster of Illinois sent a letter to the FCC with 50 of his House colleagues. The letter was a strong defense of the continued importance of E-Rate to U.S. schools and libraries. The letter quoted prior FCC statements about E-Rate, saying that it was an “extraordinary success as the federal government’s largest education technology program.” It went on to say that cuts to E-Rate would place “significant financial strain on schools across the country…” and urged “the Commission to address any concerns regarding student screen time through policies that do not undermine the digital infrastructure on which libraries and schools depend.” Rep. Foster has not received a response to his letter.