# 119-hr-9608: Less Bureaucracy, Better Family Engagement Act

119-hr-9608, Less Bureaucracy, Better Family Engagement Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Miller, Mary E. [R-IL-15] (R-IL); status in_committee; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-25).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9608
- As of: 2026-09-25
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-9608
- Congress: 119
- Title: Less Bureaucracy, Better Family Engagement Act
- Status: in_committee
- Introduced: 2026-07-09
- Sponsor: Rep. Miller, Mary E. [R-IL-15] (R-IL)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Education
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-25

## Summary

**Transfers administration of four education-focused federal programs from the Department of Education to the Department of Health and Human Services.** The bill would move staff, contracts, assets, and funds so HHS runs family engagement, school safety, and Ready to Learn grants. - Families and students: Programs that fund family engagement, community supports for school success, school safety activities, and Ready to Learn content would be run by HHS instead of ED. - Local schools and grantees: Grants, contracts, and unexpended balances connected to these programs would transfer to HHS and must be used for their original purposes. - Federal employees and operations: DOE personnel, assets, liabilities, records, and contracts tied to the programs would move to HHS, and the Office of Management and Budget director must avoid any net increase in federal full-time employees. - Legal and administrative continuity: Existing orders, proceedings, suits, applications, and administrative reviews tied to these programs would continue and apply to HHS. - Authority and delegation: HHS could exercise the same legal authorities ED previously used to run these programs and may delegate responsibilities within HHS while the HHS Secretary retains final responsibility.

## Cosponsors (1)

- Rep. Rulli, Michael A. [R-OH-6] (R-OH), 2026-09-01T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Ongoing grants and cases would continue: benefit, medium. If enacted, existing orders, permits, grants, loans, contracts, and licenses tied to the moved programs would stay in effect until lawfully changed. Proceedings, applications, and suits pending at ED about these programs would continue, with HHS substituted or added as a party when appropriate. Adm…
- HHS gets ED legal powers for transfers: mixed, medium. If enacted, HHS would be able to use the same legal authorities ED had to run the transferred programs. References in law and official documents to the Secretary or Department of Education would be read as referring to HHS for those functions. The Secretary of HHS could delegate these functions wit…
- HHS would run four school programs: mixed, medium. If enacted, the Secretary of Health and Human Services would take over four programs that Education now runs. Those are: Family Engagement in Education programs, Community Support for School Success, National Activities for School Safety, and Ready to Learn grants. The change follows the Act's effe…
- OMB limits hires and sets timing rules: mixed, medium. If enacted, the Office of Management and Budget must ensure the transfers do not cause a net increase in federal full‑time equivalent employees compared to the count on the date of enactment. OMB may decide which functions transfer and handle incidental moves of personnel and assets, and must certi…
- Staff, contracts, and funds move to HHS: mixed, medium. If enacted, personnel, contracts, property, records, and unspent balances tied to the moved programs would transfer to HHS. Any unexpended funds must still be used only for their original authorized purposes and transfers follow federal financial rules. Beginning on the date of enactment, HHS would…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-8870: BUILD America 250 Act
- 119-hr-4706: Protecting Our Farms and Homes from China Act
- 119-hr-833: Educational Choice for Children Act of 2025
- 119-hr-8827: ASSIMILATION Act
- 119-hr-9298: Stopping Harmful and Outrageous Torts Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-9608 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/9608)

## Related
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [119-hr-8870: BUILD America 250 Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8870)
- [119-hr-4706: Protecting Our Farms and Homes from China Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4706)
- [119-hr-833: Educational Choice for Children Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-833)
- [119-hr-8827: ASSIMILATION Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8827)
- [119-hr-9298: Stopping Harmful and Outrageous Torts Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9298)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9608 (as of 2026-09-25).