H.R. 6458 — Introduced in House

I 118th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 6458 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES November 21, 2023Mr. Bergman introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce A BILL To terminate the Office for Elementary and Secondary Education of the Department of Education and provide block grants to States. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Effective Money for Pupils: Overcoming Washington’s Educational Regulation Act or the EMPOWER Act. 2. Termination of the Office for Elementary and Secondary Education The Department of Education Organization Act (20 U.S.C. 3401 et seq.) is amended— (1) in section 202(b)(1)— (A) by striking subparagraph (A); and (B) by redesignating subparagraphs (B) through (F) as subparagraphs (A) through (E), respectively; and (2) by repealing section 204. 3. Repeal and block grants (a) Repeal of applicable statutes and programs Each applicable program and each provision in an applicable statute with respect to an applicable program is repealed. (b) Block grants to States Beginning with fiscal year 2024 and each succeeding fiscal year, the Secretary of Education shall award block grants to each State to make allocations to local educational agencies based on the relative number of children aged 5 to 17, inclusive, in the school district of each local educational agency. 4. Definitions In this Act: (1) Applicable program The term applicable program any program with respect to elementary or secondary education which the Secretary or the Department of Education has administrative responsibility as provided by law or by delegation of authority pursuant to law. (2) Applicable statute The term applicable statute means— (A) the Act or the title, part, section, or any other subdivision of an Act, as the case may be, that authorizes the appropriation for an applicable program; and (B) any other statute that by its terms expressly controls the administration of an applicable program. (3) State The term State means each of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and the United States Virgin Islands. 5. Effective date This Act, and the amendments made by this Act, shall take effect beginning on October 1, 2023.