CONGRESS

The House Education and Workforce Committee held a markup of H.R. 6392, the Home School Graduation Recognition Act; H.R. 6498, the Student Financial Clarity Act, H.R. 6502; the College Financial Aid Clarity Act; and H.R. 6472, an amendment to provide in-state tuition rates for residents of Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Committee passed H.R. 6392 on a 33 to 0 margin, H.R. 6498 on a 27 to 6 margin, H.R. 6502 on a 23 to 10 margin and H.R. 6472 on a 32 to 1 margin. The bills will now proceed to the House floor for consideration.

The House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade held a markup of H.R. 6290, the Safe Social Media Act; H.R. 6259, the No Fentanyl on Social Media Act; H.R. 6289, the Promoting a Safe Internet for Minors Act; H.R. 6437, the Kids Internet Safety Partnership Act; H.R. 5360, the AI Warnings And Resources for Education (AWARE) Act; H.R. 6499, the Assessing Safety Tools for Parents and Minors Act; H.R. 2657, Sammy’s Law; H.R. 6265, the Safer Guarding of Adolescents from Malicious Interactions on Network Games (GAMING) Act; H.R. 6273, the Stop Profiling Youth and Kids (SPY Kids) Act; H.R. 6253, the Algorithmic Choice and Transparency Act; H.R. 6489, the Safeguarding Adolescents From Exploitative (SAFE) BOTs Act; H.R. 1623, the Shielding Children’s Retinas from Egregious Exposure on the Net (SCREEN) Act; H.R. 6257, the Safe Messaging for Kids (SMK) Act of 2025; H.R. 3149, the App Store Accountability Act; H.R. 6333, the Parents Over Platforms Act; H.R. 6292, the Don’t Sell Kids’ Data Act of 2025; H.R. 6484, the Kids Online Safety Act; and H.R. 6291, the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act. The Subcommittee passed all bills on a voice vote excluding H.R. 6484, which passed on a roll call vote of 13 to 10 and H.R. 6291 which passed on a roll call vote of 14 to 10.

ADMINISTRATION

The President signed an Executive Order titled “Ensuring a National Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence.”

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) launched a new earnings indicator within the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) process to provide students and families with information on post-graduation earnings at prospective institutions.

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and ED announced that the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) State plan portal has been transitioned to DOL to streamline Federal workforce development programs and support joint administration of core WIOA activities, including adult education and family literacy.

The Trump Administration is bringing back approximately 260 Office for Civil Rights employees on December 15.

The Accountability in Higher Education and Access through Demand-driven Workforce Pell (AHEAD) Committee reached consensus on the issues discussed during this week of negotiated rulemaking sessions.

COURTS

ED announced that it reached a proposed settlement with several States to end the Biden-era Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) Plan, pending court approval.

EVENTS

Penn Hill Group plans on providing clients with a summary of the following event next week:

December 16: House Education and Workforce Subcommittee Hearing titled “Benched: The Crisis in American Youth Sports and Its Cost to Our Future.