# 119-hr-8402: Civics Learning Act of 2026

119-hr-8402, Civics Learning Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Cleaver, Emanuel [D-MO-5] (D-MO); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8402
- As of: 2026-09-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-8402
- Congress: 119
- Title: Civics Learning Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-04-21
- Sponsor: Rep. Cleaver, Emanuel [D-MO-5] (D-MO)
- Cosponsors: 23
- Policy area: Education
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-21

## Summary

**Expands and funds civics education.** The Civics Learning Act of 2026 would broaden what counts as civics learning, add new grant priorities, require geographic and grade-level distribution of awards, and authorize dedicated funding for FY2027. - Students and teachers: Grants would support hands-on civic engagement, lessons on the Constitution and civil rights (including the Bill of Rights and women's suffrage), service-learning, student participation in school governance, and online or video game-based learning. The program explicitly includes students and teachers at high-need schools. - Schools and communities: Grants must be distributed, to the extent practicable, across urban, suburban, and rural areas and public elementary schools. Funding would be allocated so at least 30% goes to elementary-serving entities, at least 30% to middle-serving entities, and no more than 40% to high school-serving entities. - Administration and transparency: The Secretary would give preference to applications that carry out the listed activities and must submit an annual report within 90 days after each fiscal year describing each grantee, whether they met program purposes, and recommendations for the program. *Authorizes $70 million for fiscal year 2027 to carry out this section, increasing potential federal spending if appropriated.*

## Cosponsors (23)

- Rep. Sewell, Terri A. [D-AL-7] (D-AL), 2026-04-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. DeSaulnier, Mark [D-CA-10] (D-CA), 2026-04-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Mullin, Kevin [D-CA-15] (D-CA), 2026-04-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Sánchez, Linda T. [D-CA-38] (D-CA), 2026-04-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Wilson, Frederica S. [D-FL-24] (D-FL), 2026-04-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Tokuda, Jill N. [D-HI-2] (D-HI), 2026-04-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Kelly, Robin L. [D-IL-2] (D-IL), 2026-04-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Casten, Sean [D-IL-6] (D-IL), 2026-04-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Schakowsky, Janice D. [D-IL-9] (D-IL), 2026-04-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Carson, André [D-IN-7] (D-IN), 2026-04-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Lynch, Stephen F. [D-MA-8] (D-MA), 2026-04-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Keating, William R. [D-MA-9] (D-MA), 2026-04-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. McCollum, Betty [D-MN-4] (D-MN), 2026-04-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Titus, Dina [D-NV-1] (D-NV), 2026-04-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Gottheimer, Josh [D-NJ-5] (D-NJ), 2026-04-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Velázquez, Nydia M. [D-NY-7] (D-NY), 2026-04-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Nadler, Jerrold [D-NY-12] (D-NY), 2026-04-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Ross, Deborah K. [D-NC-2] (D-NC), 2026-04-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Evans, Dwight [D-PA-3] (D-PA), 2026-04-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Scanlon, Mary Gay [D-PA-5] (D-PA), 2026-04-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Moore, Gwen [D-WI-4] (D-WI), 2026-04-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] (D-DC), 2026-04-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Craig, Angie [D-MN-2] (D-MN), 2026-08-31T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- More civics grants for schools and teachers: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would change a federal civics grant program to support more hands-on civics learning. It would benefit students and teachers, including at high-need schools. Grants would fund service learning and community service projects and lessons on the Constitution and civil rights. They…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act
- 119-hr-20: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025
- 119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act
- 119-hr-5390: FAMILY Act
- 119-hr-15: Equality Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-8402 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/8402)

## Related
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-51)
- [119-hr-20: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-20)
- [119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7977)
- [119-hr-5390: FAMILY Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5390)
- [119-hr-15: Equality Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-15)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8402 (as of 2026-09-21).