Returning Education to Our States Act

Returning Education to Our States Act

This bill abolishes the Department of Education (ED) and terminates any applicable program for which it has administrative responsibility, except for those programs transferred to other federal agencies.

Specifically, the bill transfers from ED to the Department of Health and Human Services (1) all functions, programs, and authorities of ED under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act; and (2) each Impact Aid program.

Additionally, the bill transfers each authority and program of ED's Office of Indian Education to the Department of the Interior.

The bill transfers the following programs to the Department of the Treasury:

• the Federal Pell Grant Program;
• the Federal Family Education Loan Program;
• the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program;
• the Federal Perkins Loan Program;
• the activities described in Part F (need analysis), Part G (general provisions relating to student assistance programs), or Part H (program integrity) of Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965;
• the Health Education Assistance Loan Program; and
• the programs under the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 and the Educational Technical Assistance Act of 2002.

The bill also directs Treasury to establish two block grant programs, through which Treasury must make allocations to states to (1) support elementary and secondary education, including career and technical education; and (2) support postsecondary education.

The Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division shall be responsible for receiving complaints and enforcing federal civil rights laws that are applicable to these block grant programs and federal student aid programs.

Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov