# 119-hr-2789: Adult Education WORKS Act 119-hr-2789, Adult Education WORKS Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. McBath, Lucy [D-GA-6] (D-GA); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-07). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2789 - As of: 2026-10-07 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: 119-hr-2789 - Congress: 119 - Title: Adult Education WORKS Act - Status: introduced - Introduced: 2025-04-09 - Sponsor: Rep. McBath, Lucy [D-GA-6] (D-GA) - Cosponsors: 17 - Policy area: Labor and Employment - Touches household money: yes - Last recorded action: 2026-10-07 ## Summary **Modernizes adult education and workforce training to expand digital and information literacy and create library-based college and career navigators.** It would reorganize AEFLA and WIOA, add new program definitions, and create new reporting and grant structures to connect learners to jobs and postsecondary options. - Adult learners and families would get more digital and information literacy instruction, integrated English and civics education, and clearer pathways to credentials and college‑level coursework. - Public libraries and communities would become eligible One‑Stop partners and host navigator services to reach underserved areas. It authorizes $135 million per year for library‑based navigator grants. - Workers and jobseekers would gain dedicated college and career navigators who guide training choices, federal student aid, and co‑enrollment across programs, plus a unified participant record to track outcomes and credentials. - State and local providers would face new transparency rules, a five‑year pilot for alternative performance indicators, and national evaluations by the Institute of Education Sciences to identify best practices. *This bill would increase federal spending by authorizing AEFLA appropriations that rise from $810 million in FY2026 to $1.4 billion in FY2030, plus $135 million annually for library navigator grants.* ## Cosponsors (17) - Rep. Whitesides, George [D-CA-27] (D-CA), 2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Mrvan, Frank J. [D-IN-1] (D-IN), 2025-04-09T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Bonamici, Suzanne [D-OR-1] (D-OR), 2025-05-13T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Johnson, Henry C. "Hank" [D-GA-4] (D-GA), 2025-05-13T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Stansbury, Melanie A. [D-NM-1] (D-NM), 2025-05-13T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Blair, Everton [D-GA-13] (D-GA), 2026-09-24T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Vindman, Eugene Simon [D-VA-7] (D-VA), 2026-09-24T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick, Sheila [D-FL-20] (D-FL), 2026-02-04T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Hayes, Jahana [D-CT-5] (D-CT), 2026-02-04T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Thanedar, Shri [D-MI-13] (D-MI), 2026-02-04T00:00:00.000Z - Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] (D-DC), 2026-02-25T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Tokuda, Jill N. [D-HI-2] (D-HI), 2026-04-06T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Craig, Angie [D-MN-2] (D-MN), 2026-05-20T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. McClellan, Jennifer L. [D-VA-4] (D-VA), 2026-06-18T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Figures, Shomari [D-AL-2] (D-AL), 2026-08-17T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Grijalva, Adelita S. [D-AZ-7] (D-AZ), 2026-08-17T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Scholten, Hillary J. [D-MI-3] (D-MI), 2026-09-02T00:00:00.000Z ## Provisions PRIA read - More navigators and library career help: benefit, high. This bill would grow college and career navigator services, including at public libraries. It would authorize $135 million each year for FY2026 and the next four years for library and community navigator grants, subject to appropriations. Libraries could host career services and navigator help, inc… - Five-year funding boost for adult education: benefit, high. This bill would authorize more money for adult education. It would set $810 million for FY2026, $945 million for FY2027, $1,080 million for FY2028, $1,215 million for FY2029, and $1,350 million for FY2030. It would also raise a reserved fund from $15 million to $25 million. These are authorizations… - English classes linked to jobs and civics: benefit, medium. This bill would refocus English literacy and civics classes to support full participation in work, school, and civic life. It would allow English instruction to connect to local job and career pathways through the workforce system where appropriate. - States add family and digital literacy supports: benefit, medium. This bill would let states build more supports for adult learners. States could develop family literacy programs, boost digital and information literacy, and support credentials for adult educators. It would also encourage targeted help for people with learning differences and those with very low l… - New measures and pilot tests in adult education: benefit, medium. This bill would change how adult education results are measured. It would focus on credentials, diplomas, and measurable skill gains, and set up a shared participant record system across programs. States could pilot new accountability measures for up to 5 years, with national evaluations. It would… - Public posting of workforce board members: benefit, low. This bill would require local officials to post who serves on their workforce board. The post would need to show how membership rules were met. It would have to appear on each local government’s website in the area. - Clearer eligibility terms and local spending flexibility: mixed, low. This bill would define key terms, including foundational skill needs, digital and information literacy, college placement level, and concurrent enrollment. It would set youth foundational skill needs at or below 8th grade reading, writing, or math, or not having enough English to function at work,… ## Related bills - 119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026 - 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act - 119-hr-20: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025 - 119-hr-15: Equality Act - 119-hr-1810: Safe Schools Improvement Act - 119-hr-14: John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2025 ## Sources - [119-hr-2789 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/2789) ## Related - [119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9877) - [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973) - [119-hr-20: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-20) - [119-hr-15: Equality Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-15) - [119-hr-1810: Safe Schools Improvement Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1810) - [119-hr-14: John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-14) - [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2789 (as of 2026-10-07).