Weekly Update 8/31/2026

Weekly Update 8/31/2026 Capitol Advocacy Partners

President and Administration:

Mail ballot delivery restrictions take effect as litigation continues: State election officials preparing for November face a new federal condition on how ballots move through the mail. A federal judge in Massachusetts lifted an order last week that had blocked the U.S. Postal Service from carrying out an executive order signed in March restricting mail voting, after the Supreme Court found challenges premature. Under the plan, the Postal Service would not deliver mail ballots in states that decline to share voter data with the agency, and would deliver only ballots meeting certain specifications, and review…

Beef import pause strains support among agricultural producers: Cattle producers in several states are pushing back on a federal move meant to bring down grocery prices. The administration approved a temporary lift on tariffs for 300,000 metric tons of imported beef beginning in September, and is expected to announce rules making it easier for ranchers to process their own meat and sell directly to consumers without U.S. Department of Agriculture inspections. The White House said the action addresses short-term supply while the domestic cattle herd, now at a multi-decade low, is…

Court allows White House ballroom construction to continue on standing grounds: A preservation group's challenge to a major federal construction project failed on procedural grounds rather than on the merits. The Supreme Court granted an emergency request in a 5-to-4 decision, blocking lower court rulings that halted aboveground work on the White House ballroom. The unsigned opinion held the National Trust for Historic Preservation likely lacks standing, and explicitly declined to rule on whether the project is legal, stating offense, disagreement, or distaste is not a concrete and…

Congress:

Shutdown deadline would move to December under bill facing House vote: Federal grant applicants would get a temporary reprieve under the spending measure the House is set to take up this week. The Senate's bill, negotiated with Democrats, would reset the Sept. 30 appropriations deadline for Dec. 11, extend the deadline to reauthorize lapsing surface transportation authorities, and temporarily block the White House from finalizing its proposal to put political appointees in charge of approving federal grants. House leaders plan to move the bill under suspension of the rules…

California: 

Two education bills clear the California Legislature ahead of deadline: Staffing shortages and weak math outcomes are pushing California toward looser credentialing rules and earlier assessment mandates. Lawmakers last week sent Gov. Gavin Newsom AB 2490, which would allow people with less than three years of substitute teaching experience to obtain emergency credentials and work in a classroom for up to 70 days, up from a 30-day limit in general classrooms and 20 days…

Bid to add a check on state takeovers of district finances: School districts facing insolvency could answer to a different authority under a proposal that must clear the California Legislature by Aug. 31. A coalition led by county superintendents wants the president of the State Board of Education to sign off before the elected state superintendent takes over budgeting for financially troubled districts, a step current law allows without outside approval. Over 40 county offices of education and…

Cap and invest revenues set up a squeeze on transit, water, and wildfire programs: California lawmakers reached an agreement late on Aug. 28 through amendments to budget trailer bills AB 193 and SB 193 that sets a priority order for transit, wildfire, clean water, and housing programs drawing from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, though actual amounts will depend on permit auction revenues. The deal retains the $1 billion high-speed rail appropriation and the June budget's $1.25 billion Cal Fire…

Cost growth limits gain enforcement power in California: Hospitals and health plans that outspend state cost growth targets will eventually pay for it, though not for several years. The Office of Health Care Affordability board voted last week to approve a framework allowing fines of up to 125 percent of the amount by which an organization exceeds it…

Youth online safety pressure builds through courts and the Legislature: School hours and bedtime would become off limits for minors on two major platforms under a tentative agreement announced last week. Meta settled with nearly all states, including California, that would limit minors to two hours daily on Instagram and Facebook, block access between midnight and 6 a.m., hide like counts, ban beauty filters, and let minors turn off algorithmic feeds, with tighter limits if competitors…

Education:

Proposed rule would expand authority to end education grants early: Multiyear awards would carry far less certainty under regulations the U.S. Department of Education proposed last week. The rules would let the department end grants for convenience, remove any obligation to continue multiyear funding, cut later-year award…

Court limits new conditions on teen pregnancy prevention grants: A federal judge last week blocked the Trump administration from applying new conditions to Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program grants, ruling that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) could not impose conditions that Congress did not intend or that were unreasonable or unexplained. The decision blocks the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services from applying new Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program criteria that required an alignment review, screening out diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts and support for gender-affirming care…

Federal pressure mounts on district gender identity and parental notification policies: Districts nationwide are being pressured to disclose student gender-identity information to parents through both agency enforcement and congressional oversight. The U.S. Department of Education's Student Privacy Policy Office reached a resolution agreement last week with Topeka Public Schools, which agreed to rescind guidance that barred schools from informing parents, stop creating gender support plans, and use preapproved Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) training. Two other Kansas districts refused…

Weekly Update- 8/24/2026

Weekly Update 8/24/2026 Capitol Advocacy Partners

President and Administration:

Supreme Court declines to halt Trump’s White House ballroom construction for now: On Friday, 8/21, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. issued a one-sentence placeholder order that gives all nine justices additional time to more fully consider whether construction of the planned 90,000-square-foot ballroom can proceed. The chief justice’s order did not provide a timeline for when the court would act next, stating only that a lower-court ruling against the administration…

Congress:

Senate stopgap funding bill clears chamber, awaits House action: Senate appropriators released text on August 2 for a stopgap funding measure that would fund agencies at current levels through December 11 while temporarily blocking the administration's plan to shift federal grant approval authority to political appointees. The bill cleared its first procedural hurdle August 3 in an 89 to 4 vote, then passed the full Senate August 8 by a vote of 90 to 6, sending it to the House ahead of an October shutdown deadline. The measure excludes some military increases the administration sought and withholds new funding from immigration enforcement…

Senate confirms Hal Duncan as OMB's second-ranking official: The Senate confirmed Hal Duncan last week as deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget, the White House agency that oversees regulation and policy across the executive branch. Duncan had been serving in the role in an acting capacity since his predecessor was nominated to be a United States attorney. He told lawmakers this summer that he supports the administration's proposed rule to put political appointees…

Senate GOP budget blueprint fails to advance, reconciliation push may slip to 2027: Senate Budget Committee Chair Ron Johnson (R-WI) unveiled a budget blueprint on August 7 to unlock a third-party line reconciliation bill covering defense spending, farm assistance and election grant funding, but the measure failed to reach the 50 votes needed to advance before the August recess. The resolution instructed 11 Senate committees, compared with four in the House's version, and technically allowed the Senate bill to increase the deficit by up to $150 billion, though House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) indicated the eventual total…

Kids Online Safety Act clears Senate Commerce Committee, signals fight with House: The Senate Commerce Committee voted unanimously last week to advance the Kids Online Safety Act, a bipartisan measure from Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) that includes a duty of care provision requiring platforms to design products with children's safety in mind, a requirement the House-passed version omitted. The committee also approved the Youth AI…

Chatbots are doing the work of Congress with little oversight: Congressional offices have widely adopted artificial intelligence tools with minimal formal oversight, according to a Washington Post investigation. The House has purchased 6,000 Microsoft Copilot licenses, while both chambers allow staff to use chatbots including ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude for drafting speeches, sorting constituent mail and preparing hearing questions. Current House…

California: 

Aisha Wahab wins Swalwell's former House seat amid ongoing federal assault investigation: California state Senator Aisha Wahab (D-CA) won the special election last week on 8/20 for the East Bay congressional seat previously held by former Representative Eric Swalwell (D-CA), who resigned in April after sexual assault allegations surfaced against him. Wahab defeated fellow Democrat Melissa Hernandez despite more than $6 million in outside spending from groups, and the two are now set for a rematch in November for a full term. Wahab's win fills the remainder of Swalwell's term through January; the Alameda…

Assembly working group pushes back on Newsom's wildfire liability plan: An Assembly working group presented its own wildfire liability priorities to the Democratic caucus, diverging from Governor Gavin Newsom's proposal in several key areas. Assemblymember Isaac Bryan (D-55) said the group wants to preserve insurers' ability to sue utilities…

Federal officials open antisemitism probes into two Cal State campuses: The Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights opened investigations into San Jose State University and San Francisco State University over complaints that Jewish students faced hostile environments during campus protests over Israel’s war in Gaza…

California lawmakers weigh letting community colleges award more degrees: Two bills before the Legislature would let community colleges offer more bachelor's degrees, challenging authority largely held by the University of California and California State University since 1960. Assemblymember David Alvarez (D-80) and state Senator…

Stricter California school phone ban dies in committee: A bill to ban smartphone use for kindergarten through eighth grade students on California school grounds died in a fiscal committee, defeated by opposition from school boards. Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi's (D-66) AB 1644 would have gone further than the state's 2024 law, which lets districts…

Health and Human Services (HHS) announces $102 million expansion of community health centers: HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced $102 million in new federal funding for community health centers nationwide, calling it the largest expansion of the program since 2019. California will receive $17 million of that funding across 27 organizations, making it the largest state recipient even as it clashes with the administration over Medicaid funding. Additionally, three organizations in Puerto…

Meta heads to trial in California over child safety design claims: Meta went to trial in federal court in Oakland, California, facing a lawsuit from 29 states, including California, that accuses the company of designing Instagram and Facebook to addict children while concealing known mental health harms. State prosecutors are seeking penalties…

California adopts first-in-nation tire efficiency standard for drivers: The California Energy Commission approved the nation's first efficiency standard for replacement tires, a rule regulators estimate will save drivers about $1 billion in fuel costs annually starting in 2029. The standard requires aftermarket tires to match…

CITIES: Interior Department cuts Colorado River allocations for California and two other states: The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced last week it will cut Colorado River water allocations for California, Arizona and Nevada by about a quarter over the next two years, with Arizona absorbing the largest reduction at about a third. The cuts formalize voluntary reductions the three lower basin states had already offered and are intended to stabilize a river system…

Education:

Education Department to distribute fall K-12 funds through its own system: The Education Department will distribute fiscal 2026 Title I and Title II K-12 formula funds this fall through its own G5 grant system rather than the Labor Department's, despite an agreement shifting management of K-12 programs to Labor. The funds, $10.8 billion for Title I and $1.68 billion for…

Education Department issues guidance distinguishing educational, recreational tech use: On Thursday, 8/20, the Education Department released new guidance distinguishing between educational and recreational technology use in classrooms. The guidance says instructional technology should be judged by its impact on learning, not simply whether it involves a screen, while acknowledging concerns about excessive recreational use. Assistant Secretary Kirsten Baesler said schools are right to limit distractions…

Education Department bars race consideration in school discipline decisions: The Education Department issued guidance last week declaring that considering race in student discipline decisions constitutes unlawful discrimination under Title VI, except in rare circumstances meeting strict legal scrutiny. The guidance builds on the department's July rollback of disparate impact provisions, which previously allowed schools to address disproportionate discipline rates among students…

Proposed grant rule threatens funding certainty for schools and cities: A proposed federal rule giving political appointees authority to terminate grants that do not align with administration priorities has drawn nearly 500,000 public comments, most opposed, from education groups, city officials and law enforcement organizations. San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, said the rule would shift federal grants from…

Education Department proposes overhaul of college accreditation system: The Education Department outlined a proposed rule last week to reshape college accreditation, aiming to increase competition among accreditors and emphasize what it calls intellectual diversity. Critics say the changes could politicize a process that…

Health and Human Services (HHS) proposes rolling back federal standards for Head Start programs: On 8/6, HHS proposed rolling back regulations governing Head Start, the federal early childhood program serving roughly 700,000 low-income children nationally, giving the program's 1,600 providers more flexibility on staffing ratios, group sizes, and background checks. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the program serves the poorest children in the…

New federal rule cuts loan eligibility for part-time college students: A provision in the federal budget law that took effect in July of 2026 now limits how much part-time college students can borrow, linking loan amounts to enrollment intensity. More than 500,000 graduate students and up to 1.5 million part-time undergraduates could see reduced loan eligibility, according to a Postsecondary Education and Economics Research Center analysis. Representative Jahana Hayes (D-CT) raised concerns about the impact on working students and caregivers. House Education Committee Chair Tim Walberg (R-MI)…

Weekly Update 8/03/2026

Weekly Update 8/03/2026 Capitol Advocacy Partners

Reconciliation:

Senate GOP faces pressure to pass third reconciliation bill: White House officials urged Senate Republicans last week to quickly adopt a spending blueprint for a narrowly focused, party-line spending bill under the budget reconciliation process, but faced skepticism from within the GOP conference. Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought said the bill should focus only on defense spending and farm aid, without efforts to offset its cost or raise the debt limit. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said he does not currently believe he has the votes for the narrow resolution the administration wants, citing concerns…

Congress:

Senate Republicans said to back attorney general nominee ahead of vote: Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Thom Tillis (R-NC), who had threatened to block the confirmation of the acting attorney general, said last week they would now support the nomination after he confirmed in writing that the Justice Department had abandoned parts of an earlier…

Senate reaches continuing resolution funding deal that would delay grant approval overhaul, preparing it for Senate passage this week: Senate appropriators released a stopgap funding bill last week to avert a government shutdown before the fiscal year ends, punting broader negotiations until after the midterm elections. The bipartisan plan would fund federal agencies through December 11 at current levels, with a temporary provision blocking the administration from finalizing a proposal to put political appointees in charge of grant approval. Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins (R-ME) and Sen. Lisa Murkowski…

California: 

Federal judge dismisses lawsuit challenging California's school antisemitism law: A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit challenging California's law addressing antisemitism in K-12 schools, rejecting claims that it has a chilling effect on students and teachers. The law, AB 715, requires teachers to remain factually accurate…

Federal government proposes Colorado River water cuts affecting California: The federal government released a proposal last week for potentially steep cuts to Colorado River water use in California, Arizona, and Nevada, as part of an effort to manage the river's shrinking supply. The plan could cut the three states by up to three million acre-feet per year, deeper than the 1.6 million acre-feet the states themselves proposed for the next two years. California relies on the river for drinking water as well as…

California Forever pursues legislation to advance Solano County project: California Forever, the company behind a proposed new city between San Francisco and Sacramento, is pursuing legislation in the final weeks of the session to bring advanced manufacturing and shipbuilding development to Solano County. Former legislative leaders Bob Hertzberg and Darrell Steinberg, now special counsel for the company, are pitching the effort as economic development rather than…

Education:

GOP tax credit for private school scholarships divides Democratic governors: A new federal tax credit is projected to funnel billions of dollars into scholarships covering private school tuition, tutoring, and after-school programs, and it is forcing Democratic governors to choose between teachers unions opposed to the program and parent groups pushing them to opt in. About 30 mostly Republican states have joined so far, while Colorado Gov. Jared Polis remains the only Democratic governor to…

Senate committee advances education bills, including one blocking department breakup: The Senate HELP Committee advanced several education bills last week, including bipartisan legislation from Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) blocking the Education Department from transferring special education and other core offices to other federal agencies. The committee also approved a contested measure from Chair Bill Cassidy (R-LA) creating a new federal…

52 Million U.S. kids are eligible for new federal education tax credit scholarships, but California hasn't opted in: Nearly six million children in California would be eligible for a scholarship under the new federal Education Freedom Tax Credit, more than in any other state, according to a report from the American Federation for Children. Unlike Texas, Florida, and New York, California has not opted into the program and has not indicated that it will. So far, 31 states have opted in…

Federal proposal would loosen Head Start wage and health standards: Head Start, which provides free early education and health services to low-income children nationwide, proposed in May to strip wage and benefit requirements in the name of local flexibility, with further rollbacks expected. The program bundles health and behavioral screenings…

Weekly Update 7/27/2026

Weekly Update 7/27/2026 Capitol Advocacy Partners

President and Administration:

Court filing shows political motive behind energy grant cuts: Federal officials have admitted in court filings that the administration canceled more than $7.5 billion in clean energy grants last year based solely on whether the state had voted Democratic in 2024, not on any programmatic or budgetary review. The Energy Department confirmed that all but one of the 284 terminated grants sat in states carried by Kamala Harris and represented by two Democratic senators, while similar…

Congress:

House passes stopgap as Senate, White House pushes list of funding exceptions: The House passed a government funding bill last Tuesday (7/21) that extends funding for federal operations through Dec. 4 in a 220 to 205 party line vote, months ahead of the Sept. 30 shutdown deadline, with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) holding his narrow majority together on a measure Republicans say is meant to put Senate Democrats on defense ahead of the midterms. The House bill is a straight…

House adopts budget framework for a 3rd reconciliation package, but Senate GOP resistance mounts: House Republicans narrowly adopted a budget framework last Wednesday in a 216-to-214 vote, a key step toward using reconciliation to pass a $95 billion package funding the military, farm aid, and $10 billion in election security grants tied to the administration's stalled elections overhaul. Speaker Mike Johnson and Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought had worked to rally holdouts beforehand, promising members a fourth reconciliation bill after the midterms, a pitch Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) called "not that compelling" and Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH) rejected outright. Fiscal conservative Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) ultimately voted yes despite the framework…

House ties agenda to elections overhaul push: House Republicans last week attached pieces of the SAVE America Act, the administration's stalled elections overhaul, to four separate pieces of “must-pass” legislation in an effort to force Senate action: the annual defense policy bill, a $95 billion budget plan for the war in Iran, legislation restricting stock trading by lawmakers, and a bill funding the State Department and foreign aid programs. These are four distinct bills…

California: 

Covered California insurance premiums to jump almost 10% next year: Health insurance plans through Covered California will rise by an average of 9.9% next year, the marketplace announced last Tuesday, with regulators citing rising prescription drug costs alongside federal policy changes under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which cut some immigrants from the marketplace and added paperwork hurdles for financial assistance. Covered California Executive Director Jessica Altman said the increases…

Trump admin approves California high-speed internet plan after delays: The National Telecommunications and Information Administration approved California's $1.86 billion plan to expand high-speed internet access late last week, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) announced Monday, capping years of delay tied to the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program. In a statement, the CPUC said it will use funding to deliver the greatest value for California through a “competitive process” that “prioritizes reliable, affordable service to unserved and underserved communities,” including remote rural…

California sues Trump over emergency funding rules that pressure states on elections: 24 Democratic led states, including California, sued the administration last Thursday over new conditions attached to Department of Homeland Security emergency preparedness grants, marking the state's third such challenge and its 79th lawsuit against the administration overall. Attorney General Rob Bonta said the new rules would require states to verify voter citizenship through a federal system…

Education: 

Education Department ends disparate impact enforcement: Federal civil rights enforcement in schools is narrowing after the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights rescinded disparate impact provisions from its Title VI regulations, ending investigations into policies that unintentionally disadvantage minority students, such as…

House panel advances bill defining sex under Title IX: School policy on Title IX enforcement could shift nationally after the House Education and Workforce Committee advanced the Title IX Clarification Act last Tuesday in an 18-to-15 party-line vote, defining sex under federal education law as based on biological sex at birth. The bill follows a Supreme Court ruling…

Colorado officials knew ‘public Christian school’ was religious before it opened, but didn’t stop it: Colorado’s handling of Riverstone Academy, a Christian school that received public-school status in 2025, highlights uncertainty over how states can prevent religious schools from accessing public funding. State education officials identified concerns over Riverstone’s faith-based curriculum before it was granted a public school code, internally recommending that the school be…

Weekly Update 7/20/2026

Weekly Update 7/20/2026 Capitol Advocacy Partners

President and Administration:

Health department rescinds $10 billion funding freeze on five Democratic states: The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) rescinded a $10 billion freeze on child care and social services funding for five states, including CA and NY, after repeated setbacks in a lawsuit challenging the pause. The agency sent letters to California, New York, Colorado, Illinois, and Minnesota voiding measures it had used since January to limit the states' access to federal child care and social services dollars, and it no longer requires the states to provide data the department said it needed to verify benefit eligibility. A federal judge had already…

Administration orders ICE to pause most vehicle stops after two fatal shootings: The administration ordered ICE officers to halt most vehicle stops nationwide after agents fatally shot two men in separate incidents, one in Houston and one in Biddeford, Maine, both during attempted traffic stops. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) had urged Homeland…

Congress:

Judge rules OMB cannot retroactively cancel grants under new agency rules: U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani granted summary judgment for 20 states, including California and New York, along with three governors, and the District of Columbia in their lawsuit challenging the administration's cancellation of billions of dollars in already promised federal grant awards, a final ruling on the merits rather than a procedural win. Talwani found that federal law does not…

House Republicans advance $95 billion reconciliation framework: House Republicans last week unveiled a budget framework for a $95 billion reconciliation package along party lines, approved by the House Budget Committee by Republicans the next day. The framework directs $60 billion to the House Armed Services Committee and $13 billion to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence for defense and intelligence programs, $12 billion to the House Committee on Agriculture for farm aid…

Senator Johnson inherits Budget Committee gavel: Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) is set to become chair of the Senate Budget Committee following Sen. Lindsey Graham's death, inheriting a role that puts the longtime fiscal hawk at the center of Republicans' effort to pass their third-party line reconciliation bill. Sen. Johnson, known…

Senate Democrats block $1.15 trillion defense authorization bill over Iran war concerns: Senate Democrats defeated a motion to advance the annual National Defense Authorization Act on a 50 to 46 vote Tuesday, falling short of the 60 votes needed after the bill became entangled in a partisan dispute over defense spending levels and the resumed conflict with Iran. The legislation, which passed the Senate Armed Services Committee last month, would provide…

Sen. Darline Graham will seek full term to her late brother’s seat: Sen. Darline Graham (R-SC) announced she will run for a full six-year U.S. Senate term after being appointed by South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster to temporarily fill the seat of her late brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC). Her decision follows…

California: 

California sues five cities over alleged housing plan failures: California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced lawsuits Thursday against five cities– Half Moon Bay, Turlock, Ridgecrest, Costa Mesa, and Calexico– for allegedly failing to update zoning rules or new housing. State law requires local governments to set aside adequate land for growth every eight years, but these cities…

The University of California system sets timeline on SAT requirement decision: The University of California's Academic Senate agreed to deliver a recommendation on reinstating standardized testing in admissions by next summer, days after a faculty panel rescinded an earlier two-year timeline for the review. If the Board of Regents acts on that recommendation, a decision…

Education: 

Workforce Pell Grant program launches as states race for approval: The administration's new Workforce Pell Grant program officially launched today, 7/20, allowing low-income students to use Pell Grants for short-term training programs, and states racing for federal approval. Pennsylvania has already advanced…

States sue to block cuts to school mental health grants: Maine and 14 other states, including California, sued the administration to block cuts to a $1 billion school mental health grant program, the Mental Health Service Professional Demonstration Grant Program, arguing the administration is defying a December court order by planning to terminate…

House panel advances 10 bills to break up Education Department: The House Education and Workforce Committee advanced 10 bills to codify the administration's plan to shift Education Department programs to other federal agencies, including moving federal student aid to Treasury and K-12 programs to Labor. Chair Tim Walberg (R-MI) called the department's 1979…

Labor secretary nominee grilled over special education transfer plan: Labor secretary nominee Keith Sonderling, former Deputy Secretary of Labor and then Acting Secretary following Chavez-DeRemer’s resignation, faced sharp questioning at his Senate confirmation hearing over the administration's proposal to move special education oversight…

Administration limits how long international students can stay in the US: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) finalized a rule Friday limiting international students to four years in the country before they must file for an extension, ending the "duration of status" system that has been in place since 1978. DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin…