Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

Retire through Ownership Act

Retire through Ownership Act This bill allows the fiduciary of an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) to rely on a valuation provided by an independent valuation expert or business appraiser in determining the fair market value of the plan's securities if the securities are not traded on a national securities exchange (i.e., not publicly traded) and the expert or appraiser follows specified methodologies. In general, ESOPs are defined contribution pension plans where employees accrue shares of their employers' stock in individual accounts as part of their compensation. After separating from employment or retiring, employees receive the cash value of their shares. Under the bill, an independent expert or appraiser must adhere to the methodology established under the Internal Revenue Service Ruling 59-60, which prescribes the factors a professional business appraiser should consider in forming a valuation of the stock for a closely held business.

EARLY Act Reauthorization of 2025

EARLY Act Reauthorization of 2025 This bill reauthorizes through FY2031 programs relating to young women’s awareness of breast health and breast cancer, which are administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These programs include campaigns to educate young women and health care professionals, research on preventing breast cancer in younger women, and grants for resources and services to young women diagnosed with breast cancer and precancerous conditions.

Making America's Food Safer Act

Making America's Food Safer Act This bill expands the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) authority to require the destruction of unsafe imported foods, share food safety information, and make use of food facility audit information. Specifically, the bill authorizes the FDA to order the destruction, without the opportunity for export, of any item that (1) is refused import into the United States; (2) violates federal law regulating food, drugs, medical devices, cosmetics, and tobacco products; and (3) presents a significant public health concern. Before issuing a destruction order, the FDA must provide an item’s owner or consignee with appropriate due process, including notice and an opportunity to appear. If an order is issued, the item’s owner or consignee must destroy it within 90 days at their own cost. The bill also generally authorizes the FDA to share unredacted food safety information with state, local, tribal, and territorial authorities, including information related to foodborne illness tracking, recalls and outbreaks, and other topics. During a food safety incident, the FDA may disclose certain commercial information that is otherwise protected from disclosure. Finally, the bill expands the FDA’s third-party audit system to make domestic food facilities eligible for voluntary audits. (Foreign facilities are eligible under current law.) The bill also authorizes the FDA to use audit results and related certifications to analyze risks and prioritize regulatory activities (e.g., inspections) to protect public health. (This information is currently used to determine whether specific food, or food from a specific facility, is eligible for import.)

Health Care Cybersecurity and Resiliency Act of 2026

Health Care Cybersecurity and Resiliency Act of 2026 This bill expands federal requirements and resources for preventing and responding to cybersecurity incidents in the health care and public health sectors. The bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to require private health care-related entities to adopt minimum cybersecurity practices (e.g., multifactor authentication), more specifically identify the standards for mitigating penalties relating to violations of health information privacy and security, expand and update biennially a specified plan that details cybersecurity protocols for HHS personnel, provide training and best practices to support the expansion of the workforce for health care cybersecurity, provide guidance on cybersecurity readiness to rural entities, and designate one representative to lead oversight and coordination of cybersecurity activities within HHS. Also, HHS and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) must coordinate to improve health care cybersecurity, including by (1) providing resources for entities receiving information from HHS or CISA programs, and (2) establishing a joint cybersecurity capability plan to coordinate responses to significant incidents. Additionally, the bill requires health care providers and plans to include the number of individuals affected when notifying individuals of unauthorized access to health information (i.e., a breach).

Higher Education Grant Flexibility Act of 2026

Arts Education for All Act

Arts Education for All Act This bill expands arts education and programming for children in early education, K-12 students, and juveniles and adults in the criminal justice system. Specifically, the bill allows Child Care and Development Block Grant funding to be used for additional activities, including arts programming. Additionally, the bill addresses arts programming in elementary and secondary schools by directing each state educational agency to include information on arts programming in its state plan, including how it will integrate arts education instruction into the curriculum and increase the number of arts teachers in schools; requiring state report cards to include information on arts courses; requiring local educational agency (LEA) plans to describe how the LEA will encourage the use of arts education to improve student achievement; and allowing certain funds to be used for professional development for arts teachers. The bill directs the National Center for Education Research to carry out research on the use of arts and arts education in elementary and secondary schools, including in low-performing schools. Further, the National Center for Education Statistics must compile data on arts education. The National Assessment of Educational Progress must include a specified arts assessment. The bill requires a state's juvenile justice and delinquency plan to describe how the state will coordinate services and activities for juvenile justice and delinquency prevention with arts agencies and arts organizations. Additionally, grants for adult offender reentry demonstration projects may be used for facilitating arts education.

A resolution expressing support for the designation of October 2026 as "National Dyslexia Awareness Month".

America’s College Promise Act of 2026

America's College Promise Act of 2026 This bill provides funding and establishes grant programs to expand access to higher education, including by providing free community college to students. Specifically, the bill establishes a program to waive resident tuition and fees for community college students. The Department of Education (ED) must award grants to states and tribal colleges and universities to pay the federal share of the program. As a condition of receiving such a grant, a state must (1) submit a plan to align the requirements for receiving a regular high school diploma with the requirements for entering credit-bearing coursework at community colleges; and (2) submit a plan to improve transfer pathways between institutions of higher education (IHEs), including by ensuring that associate degrees awarded by community colleges are fully transferable to four-year IHEs. Next, the bill directs ED to award grants to states and tribal colleges and universities for implementing evidence-based institutional reforms and innovative practices to improve student outcomes. In addition, ED must award grants to participating historically Black colleges and universities, tribal colleges and universities, and minority-serving institutions to waive or significantly reduce the first 60 credits of tuition and fees for low-income students.

Supporting Focus in Schools Act

Employee and Retiree Access to Justice Act

Strengthening Civics Education Act

State Strategic Stockpile Act of 2026

A resolution supporting the designation of October 2026 as "Substance Use & Misuse Prevention Month" to raise awareness of substance use and misuse in the United States.

SPELL Act

Supporting Providers of English Language Learning Act or the SPELL Act This bill allows elementary and secondary school teachers who teach English learners, bilingual students, or dual language immersion students to receive additional amounts of student loan forgiveness and loan cancellation.

VEST Act

SOS Campus Act

Literacy Improvement for Transformation Act of 2026

SUCCESS Act of 2026

UNPLUGGED Schools Grant Act of 2026

Direct Seller and Real Estate Agent Harmonization Act