HouseH.R. 9608119th Congress
Less Bureaucracy, Better Family Engagement Act
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[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9608 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 9608
To ensure the Department of Health and Human Services will manage
family engagement programs for elementary and secondary education, and
for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 9, 2026
Mrs. Miller of Illinois introduced the following bill; which was
referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To ensure the Department of Health and Human Services will manage
family engagement programs for elementary and secondary education, and
for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Less Bureaucracy, Better Family
Engagement Act''.
SEC. 2. TRANSFER OF DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION FUNCTIONS RELATING TO
FAMILY ENGAGEMENT.
There are transferred to the Secretary of Health and Human Services
all the functions which the Secretary of Education exercised before the
effective date of this Act (including all related functions of any
officer or employee of the Department of Education) with respect to
each of the following:
(1) Family Engagement in Education Programs authorized
under part E of title IV of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7241 et seq.).
(2) The Community Support for School Success program
authorized under subpart 2 of part F of title IV of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7271
et seq.).
(3) National Activities for School Safety program
authorized under subpart 3 of part F of title IV of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
7281).
(4) The Ready to Learn Programming Grant program authorized
under section 4643 of the Elementary and Secondary Education
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7293).
SEC. 3. EXERCISE OF AUTHORITIES.
Except as otherwise provided by law, the Secretary of Health and
Human Services may, for purposes of performing a function transferred
under this Act, exercise all authorities under any other provision of
law that were available with respect to the performance of that
function to the Secretary of Education immediately before the effective
date of the transfer of the function under this Act.
SEC. 4. TRANSFER AND ALLOCATIONS OF APPROPRIATIONS AND PERSONNEL.
Except as otherwise provided in this Act, the personnel employed in
connection with, and the assets, liabilities, contracts, property,
records, and unexpended balances of appropriations, authorizations,
allocations, and other funds employed, used, held, arising from,
available to, or to be made available in connection with the functions
transferred under this Act, subject to section 1531 of title 31, United
States Code, shall be transferred to the Secretary of Health and Human
Services. Unexpended funds transferred pursuant to this section shall
be used only for the purposes for which the funds were originally
authorized and appropriated.
SEC. 5. AUTHORITY OF DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET
WITH RESPECT TO FUNCTIONS TRANSFERRED.
(a) Personnel Determinations.--The Director of the Office of
Management and Budget shall ensure that this Act does not result in a
net increase in full-time equivalent employees at the Federal agencies
impacted by this Act, based on the number of such employees at such
agencies on the date of enactment of this Act.
(b) Function Determinations.--If necessary, the Director of the
Office of Management and Budget shall make any determination of the
functions that are transferred under this Act.
(c) Incidental Transfers.--The Director of the Office of Management
and Budget, at such time or times as the Director shall provide, may
make such determinations as may be necessary with regard to the
functions transferred by this Act, and to make such additional
incidental dispositions of personnel, assets, liabilities, grants,
contracts, property, records, and unexpended balances of
appropriations, authorizations, allocations, and other funds held,
used, arising from, available to, or to be made available in connection
with such functions, as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of
this Act. The Director shall provide for the termination of the affairs
of all entities terminated by this Act and for such further measures
and dispositions as may be necessary to effectuate the purposes of this
Act.
(d) Certification of Compliance.--On the effective date of this
Act, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall certify
compliance with this Act, including the requirement under subsection
(a), to the Committee on Education and Workforce of the House of
Representatives and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and
Pensions of the Senate.
SEC. 6. DELEGATION AND ASSIGNMENT.
Except as otherwise expressly prohibited by law or otherwise
provided in this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services may
delegate any of the functions so transferred to such officers and
employees of the Department of Health and Human Services as the
Secretary may designate, and may authorize successive redelegations of
such functions as may be necessary or appropriate. No delegation of
functions under this section or under any other provision of this Act
shall relieve the Secretary of Health and Human Services of
responsibility for the administration of the function.
SEC. 7. REFERENCES.
With regard to functions transferred under section 2, a reference
in any other Federal law, Executive order, rule, regulation, or
delegation of authority, or any document of or relating to--
(1) the Secretary of Education shall be deemed to refer to
the Secretary of Health and Human Services; and
(2) the Department of Education shall be deemed to refer to
the Department of Health and Human Services.
SEC. 8. SAVINGS PROVISIONS.
(a) Legal Documents.--All orders, determinations, rules,
regulations, permits, grants, loans, contracts, agreements,
certificates, licenses, and privileges--
(1) that have been issued, made, granted, or allowed to
become effective by the President, any Federal agency or
official thereof, or by a court of competent jurisdiction, in
the performance of any function that is transferred by this
Act, and
(2) that are in effect on the effective date of such
transfer (or become effective after such date pursuant to their
terms as in effect on such effective date),
shall continue in effect according to their terms until modified,
terminated, superseded, set aside, or revoked in accordance with law by
the President, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, any other
authorized official, a court of competent jurisdiction, or operation of
law.
(b) Proceedings.--This Act shall not affect any proceedings or any
application for any benefits, service, license, permit, certificate, or
financial assistance pending on the date of the enactment of this Act
before the Department of Education (with respect to functions
transferred by this Act). Such proceedings and applications shall
continue, orders shall be issued in such proceedings, appeals shall be
taken therefrom, and payments shall be made pursuant to such orders, as
if this Act had not been enacted, and orders issued in any such
proceeding shall continue in effect until modified, terminated,
superseded, or revoked by a duly authorized official, by a court of
competent jurisdiction, or by operation of law. Nothing in this
subsection shall be considered to prohibit the discontinuance or
modification of any such proceeding under the same terms and conditions
and to the same extent that such proceeding could have been
discontinued or modified if this Act had not been enacted.
(c) Suits.--Except as provided in subsection (e)--
(1) this Act shall not affect suits commenced before the
effective date of this Act; and
(2) in all such suits, proceeding shall be had, appeals
taken, and judgments rendered in the same manner and with the
same effect as if this Act had not been enacted.
(d) Nonabatement of Actions.--No suit, action, or other proceeding
commenced by or against the Department of Education (with respect to
the functions transferred by this Act), or by or against any individual
in the official capacity of such individual as an officer or employee
of the Department of Education (with regard to functions transferred by
this Act), shall abate by reason of the enactment of this Act.
(e) Continuance of Suits.--If, before the date on which a transfer
of a function under this Act takes effect, the Secretary of Education
or any officer or employee of the Department of Education in the
official capacity as such an officer or employee is party to a suit
relating to the function, then such suit shall be continued and the
Secretary of Health and Human Services, or other appropriate official
of the Department of Health and Human Services, shall be substituted or
added as a party.
(f) Administrative Procedure and Judicial Review.--Except as
otherwise provided by this Act, any statutory requirements relating to
notice, hearings, action upon the record, or administrative or judicial
review that apply to any function transferred by this Act shall apply
to the exercise of such function by the Secretary of Health and Human
Services, and other officers of the Department of Health and Human
Services, to which such function is transferred by this Act.
SEC. 9. TRANSITION.
Beginning on the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of
Health and Human Services is authorized to use, for such period of time
as may reasonably be needed to facilitate the orderly implementation of
this Act--
(1) the services of officers, employees, and other
personnel of the Department of Education with regard to
functions transferred under this Act;
(2) assets of the Department of Education with regard to
such functions; and
(3) funds appropriated to such functions.
SEC. 10. DEFINITION OF FUNCTION.
For purposes of this Act, the term ``function'' includes any duty,
obligation, power, authority, responsibility, right, privilege,
activity, or program.
SEC. 11. EFFECTIVE DATE.
(a) In General.--Except as provided in section 9, this Act shall
take effect 6 months after the date of enactment of this Act.
(b) Early Implementation.--Notwithstanding subsection (a),
transfers of functions under section 2 or any other provision of this
Act (other than section 9) may be carried out beginning on the date of
enactment of this Act but not later than the effective date of this
Act.
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