Federal RuleAug 21
62
DOL Rewrites Disability Rules for 'Merit-Based Opportunity' Push
RuleLabor DepartmentFederal Contract Compliance Programs OfficeSignificant Wallet
119-hr-2738119th CongressWALLET
Ending PUSHOUT Act of 2025
Sponsored By: Representative Pressley, Ayanna [D-MA-7]
Introduced
Summary
End the punitive, discriminatory use of exclusionary discipline that pushes students, especially girls of color, out of school. This bill would require new national data, create competitive Healing School Climate Grants, and bar certain harsh practices for grant recipients.
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- Students and families: Would prohibit out-of-school suspension or expulsion for preschool through grade 5 except for serious physical injury and would bar suspensions or expulsions for insubordination, willful defiance, grooming or appearance violations, truancy, and similar offenses for preschool through grade 12 when funded by grants. It would also ban corporal punishment, seclusion, and dangerous restraints for grant recipients.
- Schools and staff: Would fund evidence-based alternatives like restorative practices, social and emotional learning, counseling, mentors, extracurriculars, and require hiring social workers and counselors who would not replace school-based law enforcement. Grantees must provide training on trauma, bias, and positive behavioral supports.
- Data and transparency: Would require the Department of Education civil rights office to collect and publish annual, disaggregated school discipline data with privacy protections and report patterns to Congress within one year and annually thereafter. Grant reporting and public access must be in multiple languages and accessible formats, and up to 2 percent of funds may be used for technical assistance.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Annual tracking of school discipline data
If enacted, the Office for Civil Rights would collect and publish school discipline data every year. About $500 million each year would support this work. Reports would cover suspensions (in and out of school), expulsions, law-enforcement referrals and arrests, and days of lost instruction. Data would be broken out by race, ethnicity, sex (including, when possible, sexual orientation and gender identity), income, disability, English learner status, foster care, housing status, Tribal ties, and pregnancy/parenting. The first report to Congress would be due within one year, with public, multi-language, accessible releases that protect student privacy.
Grants and task force on school discipline
If enacted, the Education Department would award competitive Healing School Climate Grants. About $500 million each year would fund these grants and a new joint task force. Local school districts and qualified nonprofits could apply, with priority for schools with big discipline gaps. Grantees would need to ban most out-of-school suspensions for young children and for minor issues like defiance, truancy, tardiness, or dress code; they would also ban corporal punishment, seclusion, and dangerous restraints, with a narrow safety exception. The 21-member task force (no law-enforcement members) would study pushout and report to Congress within 360 days and then every two years.
Clear definitions for discipline rules
If enacted, the bill would set clear definitions for school discipline terms. It would define things like insubordination, appearance and grooming rules, exclusionary discipline, informal removals, out-of-school suspension, and school-based law enforcement officer. This would help schools, families, and agencies apply the rules the same way.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Pressley, Ayanna [D-MA-7]
MA • D
Cosponsors
Rep. Carter, Troy A. [D-LA-2]
LA • D
Sponsored 10/1/2026
Rep. Watson Coleman, Bonnie [D-NJ-12]
NJ • D
Sponsored 4/8/2025
Rep. Omar, Ilhan [D-MN-5]
MN • D
Sponsored 4/8/2025
Rep. Beatty, Joyce [D-OH-3]
OH • D
Sponsored 4/8/2025
Rep. Casar, Greg [D-TX-35]
TX • D
Sponsored 4/8/2025
Rep. DeSaulnier, Mark [D-CA-10]
CA • D
Sponsored 4/8/2025
Rep. Lee, Summer L. [D-PA-12]
PA • D
Sponsored 4/8/2025
Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large]
DC • D
Sponsored 4/8/2025
Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, Alexandria [D-NY-14]
NY • D
Sponsored 4/8/2025
Rep. Ramirez, Delia C. [D-IL-3]
IL • D
Sponsored 4/8/2025
Rep. Thanedar, Shri [D-MI-13]
MI • D
Sponsored 4/8/2025
Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI-12]
MI • D
Sponsored 4/8/2025
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov