# 119-s-745: Empowering Families in Special Education Act

119-s-745, Empowering Families in Special Education Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Schmitt, Eric [R-MO] (R-MO); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2025-12-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-745
- As of: 2025-12-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-745
- Congress: 119
- Title: Empowering Families in Special Education Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-02-26
- Sponsor: Sen. Schmitt, Eric [R-MO] (R-MO)
- Cosponsors: 4
- Policy area: Education
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2025-12-21

## Summary

**Expands parents' right to include outside experts on their child's IEP team.** This bill would require the local educational agency (LEA) that serves a child with a disability to notify parents, within a reasonable timeframe before the first IEP meeting of the upcoming school year, that they may invite other individuals with knowledge or special expertise about the child, including related services personnel as appropriate. - Families and parents: Parents would receive clear, timely notice about their ability to add professionals to IEP meetings, making it easier to bring needed expertise. - Students: IEP teams could include more professionals with relevant knowledge, which may broaden the assessments and supports considered for the student's plan. - Schools and LEAs: LEAs would take on a new administrative duty to provide the required notification before the first IEP meeting each year.

## Cosponsors (4)

- Sen. Shaheen, Jeanne [D-NH] (D-NH), 2025-02-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA] (D-CA), 2025-02-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Sheehy, Tim [R-MT] (R-MT), 2025-03-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Warnock, Raphael G. [D-GA] (D-GA), 2025-12-17T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Schools must tell parents about IEP team: benefit, low. If enacted, your child's school would have to notify you before the first IEP meeting each school year. The notice would say you may include other people who know your child or have special expertise on the IEP team. It would also say related services staff can join when appropriate. This would be…

## Related bills

- 119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-s-1816: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025
- 119-s-1261: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025
- 119-s-1547: America the Beautiful Act
- 119-sres-913: A resolution relating to the death of the Honorable Nancy Kassebaum, former United States Senator for the State of Kansas.
- 119-sres-897: A resolution honoring the life, service, and legacy of the Honorable Jon Llewellyn Kyl, former Senator for the State of Arizona.

## Sources
- [119-s-745 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/745)

## Related
- [119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5066)
- [119-s-1816: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1816)
- [119-s-1261: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1261)
- [119-s-1547: America the Beautiful Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1547)
- [119-sres-913: A resolution relating to the death of the Honorable Nancy Kassebaum, former Uni…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-913)
- [119-sres-897: A resolution honoring the life, service, and legacy of the Honorable Jon Llewel…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-897)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-745 (as of 2025-12-21).