Weekly Update 9/14/2026

Weekly Update 9/14/2026 Capitol Advocacy Partners

Grant Management:

Upcoming Federal Fiscal Year-End: With September 30 approaching, if you have a grant or No-Cost Extension (NCE) ending on September 30, all program activities…

President and Administration:

Judge rules Department of Homeland Security (DHS) plan to halve FEMA workforce unlawful: A federal judge ruled last week that DHS acted unlawfully in ordering the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to cut its workforce by more than 11,000 employees by the end of the month. U.S. District Judge Susan Illston of the Northern District of California wrote that the plan was arbitrary and capricious and that the 11,000 figure appeared to have been “pulled from thin air.” The reduction targeted Cadre of On-Call Response and Recovery (CORE) employees, temporary full-time staff who help communities prepare for and…

Administration announces $500 rebates to some Affordable Care Act enrollees: The administration last week announced that it will send $500 rebates to nearly one million people enrolled in Affordable Care Act (ACA) coverage through healthcare.gov who did not receive a federal subsidy, describing the payments as a one-time refund of marketplace user fees. Eligible enrollees are in 30 states, and California is not among them. Consumers in California and 20 other jurisdictions…

Congress:

House to vote Sept. 15 on bill requiring data center operators to cover grid costs: The House will vote on the bipartisan Ratepayer Protection Act, H.R. 9340, intended to require technology companies to pay for the electric infrastructure required by data centers rather than shifting those costs onto utility customers. The bill, led by Reps. Gabe Evans (R-CO) and Kathy Castor (D-FL), passed the House Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously this summer…

Education:

Bill would redirect federal literacy grant to lowest performing states: The READ Act would restructure the Comprehensive Literacy State Development grant, most recently funded at $194 million, to give absolute priority to states with the lowest fourth grade reading scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Participating states would have to develop literacy plans covering early screening and intervention, teacher professional development…

White House clears final Title IX rule for release: The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) signed off last week on the Education Department's final rule recodifying its sex discrimination regulations under Title IX, which prohibits sex-based discrimination in any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance…

Education Department special education leader resigns amid transfer of staff to HHS: Kelly Rogers, acting assistant secretary for the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, announced on September 8 that she is stepping down. The office administers the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)…

American Bar Association (ABA) repeals diversity standard as accreditation authority faces review: The ABA’s Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar voted on September 8 to repeal Standard 206, which required law schools to show a commitment to diversity and had not been enforced since 2024. Education Department staff…

Federal officials find UC Berkeley law school violated civil rights law in admissions: The Justice Department (DOJ) and Education Department found on September 9 that the Berkeley School of Law discriminated against white and Asian applicants in admissions. Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general for civil rights, wrote that admissions data for the classes of 2024 and 2025 showed Black applicants had nearly six times the odds of admission compared with white applicants who had similar…

Education Department releases playbook as states take on more program decisions: The Education Department announced a Learning Agenda Playbook on September 8, a set of optional case studies, templates, and guidance to help state education agencies set goals, measure progress, and direct funding. Kirsten Baesler, Assistant…

California: 

Federal agency blocks California ban on single-use propane cylinders: The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) ruled on Sept. 7 that California's ban on single-use propane cylinders is preempted by federal law, siding with Worthington Enterprises, an Ohio manufacturer, along with the attorneys general of Kansas and Ohio. SB 1280, authored by state Sen. John Laird (D-17) in 2024, would have replaced single-use cans with refillable and…

CalPERS pension clawbacks over post-retirement work draw lawsuit: A lawsuit filed in San Francisco Superior Court challenges how the California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS) recovers money from retirees it finds violated limits on working after retirement. Linda Samsom, who worked as a consulting specialist for the Yolo County Sheriff's Department after retiring from Riverside County, received a CalPERS notice demanding repayment of her…

Weekly Update-9/08/2026

Weekly Update 9/08/2026 Capitol Advocacy Partners

Grant Management:

Upcoming Federal Fiscal Year-End: With September 30 approaching, if you have a grant or No-Cost Extension (NCE) ending on September 30, all program activities must be completed, and all allowable expenditures and obligations must be incurred by the end of the month. For mid-stream grants with a budget year…

President and Administration:

USPS ballot verification portal could delay mail voting, whistleblower warns: A federal whistleblower disclosure submitted to Congress last week warns that a new United States Postal Service verification portal could delay mail ballot delivery ahead of the midterm elections. The system, tied to an executive order affecting mail voting procedures, would reject an entire batch of ballots, potentially tens of thousands, if a single barcode could not be matched to a state's voter list. Election officials have raised concerns that voter rolls change too frequently for the portal to keep pace, since new registrations and address…

Congress:

House Republicans eye massive water & environment earmarks: House lawmakers are seeking more than $7.4 billion across roughly 6,200 community project earmarks in the proposed FY2027 spending bills, with Republicans capturing the overwhelming majority of the largest awards. All but one of the 60 largest proposed earmarks would benefit Republican-led districts, continuing a pattern seen over the past four years. Major funding requests are concentrated in water infrastructure, environmental projects…

Senators press Education Department on student loan spending: Four senators are pressing the Department of Education to account for how it has spent $1 billion in student loan administration funding provided under last year's tax and spending law. Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) sent a letter asking Secretary Linda McMahon to detail spending after the department reported using roughly $215.5 million of the fund…

Lawmakers weigh payroll tax changes to address Social Security shortfall: The Social Security trust fund is projected to run dry in 2032, at which point benefits would shrink by an average of $440 per month unless Congress acts, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center. Closing the shortfall would require $459 billion in cuts or new revenue in 2033 alone, a figure that grows each year the fix is delayed. Several lawmakers, including Sens. Bernie Moreno (R-OH) and Elizabeth Warren…

California: 

California reaches deal on school abuse liability: California lawmakers reached a compromise on legislation addressing childhood sexual assault liability for public schools, cities, and counties. The deal drops survivor damages proposed caps but requires survivors over age 40, or those with pre-2024 cases lacking records, to present stronger…

Education:

Federal agencies press Kansas districts on gender policy compliance: The Departments of Justice and Education announced enforcement action against two Kansas school districts, Olathe and Shawnee Mission, over gender-inclusive policies the agencies say violate federal student privacy law. Reasons for enforcement action include allowing students to change their name or pronouns used at school without clear communication to parents, and allowing transgender…

IRS proposes ending tax-exempt status for discriminatory private schools: The Treasury Department and IRS last week proposed regulations to end federal tax-exempt status for private schools that discriminate based on race, color, or national or ethnic origin. The rule could affect up to 18,000 private primary, secondary, and postsecondary institutions…

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…