CONGRESS

The House passed and President Trump signed H.R. 7148 into law, which included fiscal year 2026 appropriations for Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies; Defense; Financial Services and General Government; National Security, U.S. Department of State, and Related Programs; and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies.

ADMINISTRATION

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) issued guidance on prayer and religious expression in public elementary and secondary schools.

ED issued guidance to all postsecondary education institutions on their obligations under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) regarding student data privacy and the consequences of noncompliance.

U.S. President Donald Trump sent the nomination of Michael McDonald to be Chairperson of the National Endowment for the Humanities for a term of four years to the Senate.

EVENTS

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

February 10: House Education and Workforce Subcommittee Hearing titled “Defending Faith and Families Against Government Overreach: Mahmoud v. Taylor.”

February 10: House Appropriations Subcommittee Hearing titled “The Science of Reading.”

February 11: House Education and Workforce Subcommittee Hearing titled “Building an AI-Ready America: Safer Workplaces Through Smarter Technology.”

February 12: Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Full Committee Hearing titled “Restoring Integrity: Preventing Fraud in Child Care Assistance Programs.”