# 119-hr-9604: Less Bureaucracy, Better Tribal Education Act

119-hr-9604, Less Bureaucracy, Better Tribal Education Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Owens, Burgess [R-UT-4] (R-UT); status in_committee; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-29).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9604
- As of: 2026-10-29
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-9604
- Congress: 119
- Title: Less Bureaucracy, Better Tribal Education Act
- Status: in_committee
- Introduced: 2026-07-09
- Sponsor: Rep. Owens, Burgess [R-UT-4] (R-UT)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Education
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-10-29

## Summary

**Consolidates tribal education and job‑training programs under the Department of the Interior.** This bill would transfer a broad suite of programs, authorities, assets, and staff from the Department of Education to the Department of the Interior and set rules for a staged transition and tribal consultation. - Tribes and students: Administration of many programs that serve American Indian and Alaska Native students would move to Interior, while the bill aims to preserve existing funding streams and program purposes. - Federal workers and agencies: The bill would transfer appropriations, contracts, records, property, and liabilities to Interior and allow Interior to use Education Department personnel during a transition. The Office of Management and Budget must ensure no net increase in federal full‑time equivalent (FTE) employees. - Continuity and oversight: Existing suits, orders, and administrative rights tied to the transferred functions would continue. The bill requires consultation with Indian Tribes within six months and makes the main transfers effective one year after Education publishes its written consultation response.

## Cosponsors (1)

- Rep. Rulli, Michael A. [R-OH-6] (R-OH), 2026-08-13T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- How programs, staff, and funds move: mixed, low. If enacted, personnel, contracts, records, and unspent funds tied to transferred functions would move from the Education Department to the Department of the Interior. Any unexpended money transferred would have to be used only for the purpose it was originally authorized. Existing grants, orders, p…
- Interior would run tribal education programs: mixed, low. If enacted, the Department of the Interior would take over many tribal education and job-training programs now run by the Department of Education. The transfer would generally happen one year after the Education Secretary publishes the required written tribal consultation response. The bill would a…
- Tribal consultation and transfer scope: mixed, low. If enacted, the Education Secretary would have to consult with Indian Tribes within six months of enactment and publish a written response on the Department website. The bill would define the word 'function' broadly to include duties, powers, responsibilities, programs, and similar items for the pu…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-8870: BUILD America 250 Act
- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-833: Educational Choice for Children Act of 2025
- 119-hr-9298: Stopping Harmful and Outrageous Torts Act
- 119-hr-6766: Essential Caregivers Act of 2025
- 119-hr-2395: SHORT Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-9604 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/9604)

## Related
- [119-hr-8870: BUILD America 250 Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8870)
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [119-hr-833: Educational Choice for Children Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-833)
- [119-hr-9298: Stopping Harmful and Outrageous Torts Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9298)
- [119-hr-6766: Essential Caregivers Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6766)
- [119-hr-2395: SHORT Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2395)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9604 (as of 2026-10-29).