HR8676Referred to Committee

To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to authorize the Secretary of Education to award grants to State educational agencies to carry out wellness programs for school personnel, and for other purposes.

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Introduced
In Committee
3
Passed One Chamber
4
Passed Both
5
Signed into Law
119th
Congress
2026-05-07
Introduced
1
Cosponsors
HR
ⓘ
Type

Sponsor

Shontel M. Brown
Shontel M. Brown
Democrat · OH · Representative
Votes with party: 98.5% (586 recorded votes)

Full profile: /officials/B001313

Source: Congress.gov · FEC

Cosponsors (1)

Members who have signed on to support this bill since introduction. Source: Congress.gov.

Latest Action

The most recent step in the bill's legislative path. Committee Activity below shows referrals and reports; the full action-by-action history including floor proceedings lives at Congress.gov →

Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.

2026-05-07

Source: Congress.gov

Committee Activity

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Plain-English Summary

The federal government would provide grants to states to create wellness programs for school employees like teachers, administrators, and support staff. These programs could cover things like mental health services, fitness initiatives, stress management, and preventive health care to improve the overall wellbeing of people who work in schools. The money would help schools address burnout and health challenges among their workforce.

AI-assisted summary generated from the official bill metadata (title, subjects, actions) sourced from Congress.gov. Cached and reviewed. Always verify against the official text linked below.

Subjects

Education

Full Bill Text

Verbatim text published on Congress.gov via GovInfo. Use Cmd+F / Ctrl+F to search within this excerpt.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H.R. 8676 Introduced in House (IH)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 8676 To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to authorize the Secretary of Education to award grants to State educational agencies to carry out wellness programs for school personnel, and for other purposes. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES May 7, 2026 Ms. Brown (for herself and Mr. Olszewski) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to authorize the Secretary of Education to award grants to State educational agencies to carry out wellness programs for school personnel, 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. SUPPORTING EFFECTIVE INSTRUCTION. (a) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 2003 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6603) is amended-- (1) in subsection (a), by striking ``each of fiscal years 2017 through 2020'' and inserting ``each of fiscal years 2026 through 2030''; (2) in subsection (b)-- (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking ``appropriated--'' and inserting ``appropriated such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2030.''; and (B) by striking paragraphs (1) through (3); and (3) by adding at the end the following: ``(c) Grants to States for Wellness Programs for School Personnel.--For the purpose of carrying out part C, there are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary for fiscal years 2026 through 2030.''. (b) State Allotments.--Section 2101(b)(1) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6611(b)(1)) is amended-- (1) in subparagraph (A)-- (A) in the heading, by striking ``years 2017 through 2022'' and inserting ``years 2026 through 2030''; and (B) in the matter preceding clause (i), by striking ``each of fiscal years 2017 through 2022'' and inserting ``fiscal years 2026 through 2030''; and (2) in subparagraph (C), by striking ``each of fiscal years 2017 through 2022'' and inserting ``each of fiscal years 2026 through 2030''. (c) Local Uses of Funds.--Section 2103(b)(3) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6613(b)(3)) is amended-- (1) in subparagraph (O), by striking ``and'' at the end; (2) in subparagraph (P), by striking the period at the end and inserting ``; and''; and (3) by adding at the end the following: ``(Q) developing and implementing programs that create healthier and more sustainable working environments for all school personnel, including teachers, principals, other school leaders, specialized instructional support personnel, and paraprofessionals, by measuring and helping to improve the mental, emotional, and physical well-being of such personnel, including with respect to-- ``(i) stress management; ``(ii) workplace conditions; ``(iii) access to support; and ``(iv) job satisfaction.''. (d) Reporting.--Section 2104(a) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6614(a)) is amended-- (1) in paragraph (3), by striking ``and'' at the end; (2) in paragraph (4), by striking the period at the end and inserting ``; and''; and (3) by adding at the end the following: ``(5) a summary of the programs developed and implemented by local educational agencies pursuant to section 2103(b)(3)(Q).''. (e) Grants to States for Wellness Programs.-- (1) In general.--Title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6601 et seq.) is amended-- (A) by redesignating part C as part D; and (B) by inserting after part B the following: ``PART C--WELLNESS PROGRAMS FOR SCHOOL PERSONNEL ``SEC. 2250. GRANTS TO STATES. ``(a)…
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Grants Authorized.-- ``(1) In general.--From the amounts appropriated under section 2003(c), the Secretary shall award, on a competitive basis, grants to State educational agencies to award subgrants to local educational agencies in accordance with section 2251. ``(2) Technical assistance.--The Secretary may provide technical assistance to State educational agencies receiving a grant under this part. ``(3) Grant period.--A grant awarded under this part shall be for a period of 5 years. ``(b) Application.--A State educational agency seeking a grant under this part shall submit to the Secretary an application in such form, at such time, and containing such information as the Secretary may require, including-- ``(1) a description of the challenges faced by the State educational agency with respect to-- ``(A) workforce sustainability, including with respect to-- ``(i) workload manageability; ``(ii) support structures; ``(iii) morale and workplace climate; and ``(iv) access to wellness resources; and ``(B) workforce retention; ``(2) a description of how the State educational agency will consult with superintendents or heads of local educational agencies in accordance with section 2251(a)(2); and ``(3) a description of how the State educational agency will evaluate the effectiveness of programs carried out pursuant to a subgrant awarded under section 2251. ``(c) Priority.--In awarding grants under this part, if the number of satisfactory applications exceeds the number of grants that can be awarded from the amounts appropriated under section 2003(c) based on grant amounts determined by the Secretary, the Secretary shall give priority to State educational agencies experiencing administrator or educator shortages as determined by the Secretary using the most recent publicly available State-level data. ``SEC. 2251. SUBGRANTS TO LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES. ``(a) Subgrants Authorized.-- ``(1) In general.--A State educational agency receiving a grant under this part shall use such grant funds to award subgrants to local educational agencies served by such State educational agency. ``(2) Consultation.--Prior to awarding a subgrant under this section, a State educational agency shall consult with the superintendents or heads of local educational agencies served by the State educational agency to-- ``(A) understand the factors that impact workplace sustainability (as described in section 2250(b)(1)(A)) and workplace retention in the State; and ``(B) for purposes of subsection (c), identify local educational agencies serving high-need student populations. ``(b) Application.--A local educational agency seeking a subgrant under this section shall submit to the State educational agency an application in such form, at such time, and containing such information as the State educational agency may require, including-- ``(1) a description of the challenges faced by the local educational agency with respect to workforce sustainability (as described in section 2250(b)(1)(A)) and workforce retention; ``(2) a description of how the local educational agency will-- ``(A) implement a program described in subsection (d); and ``(B) consult with the State educational agency to develop such program; and ``(3) a description of how the local educational agency will evaluate the effectiveness of such program. ``(c) Priority.--In awarding subgrants under this section, a State educational agency shall give priority to local educational agencies serving high-need student populations (as determined in accordance with subsection (a)(2)). ``(d) Uses of Funds.--A local educational agency receiving a subgrant under this section shall use such subgrant funds to, in each elementary school and secondary school served by the agency, develop and implement new, or enhance existing, wellness programs for all school personnel (including teachers, principals, other school leaders, specialized instructional support personnel, and paraprofessionals) that-- ``(1) that create healthier and more sustainable working environments for such personnel; ``(2) increase rates of retention; and ``(3) measure and help to improve the mental, emotional, and physical well-being of such personnel, including with respect to-- ``(A) stress management; ``(B) workplace conditions; ``(C) workload manageability; ``(D) access to support; and ``(E) job satisfaction. ``SEC. 2252. STATE REPORT. ``(a) Annual Report.--For each of the first 4 years of the grant period described in section 2250(a)(3), a State educational agency receiving a grant under this part shall, not later than 180 days after the conclusion of each such year, submit to Congress and the Secretary a report that includes, with respect to the year for which the report is submitted-- ``(1) a description of the wellness programs carried out by the local educational agencies receiving a subgrant under section 2251, including updates on the implementation of such program; and ``(2) with respect to the school personnel described in section 2251(d), rates of retention and vacancy, including any change in such rates from the beginning of such year to the date of submission of the report. ``(b) Final Report.--A State educational agency receiving a grant under this part shall, not later than 180 days after the conclusion of the grant period described in section 2250(a)(3), submit to Congress and the Secretary a report that-- ``(1) describes the wellness programs carried out by local educational agencies receiving a subgrant under section 2251; ``(2) measures whether such wellness programs impacted, with respect to the school personnel described in section 2251(d)-- ``(A) rates of retention and vacancy (including whether personnel intend to remain in their positions); and ``(B) school climate, including with respect to workload manageability, morale, and well-being, as determined by staff climate surveys; and ``(3) outlines best practices for developing and implementing such wellness programs.''. (2) Table of contents.--The table of contents of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.) is amended-- (A) by inserting after the item relating to section 2245 the following: ``Part C--Wellness Programs for School Personnel ``Sec. 2250. Grants to States. ``Sec. 2251. Subgrants to local educational agencies. ``Sec. 2252. State report.''; and (B) by striking ``Part C--General Provisions'' after the item relating to section 2245 and inserting the following: ``Part D--General Provisions''. <all>
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