H.R. 9603: Less Bureaucracy, Better International Education Oversight Act

This bill would move the federal government’s management of certain international education programs from the Department of Education to the Department of State. In practical terms, the State Department would take over administration of:

• International Education Programs under Title VI of the Higher Education Act
• The Fulbright-Hays fellowship and scholarship program

The bill also repeals the Institute for International Public Policy portion of Title VI of the Higher Education Act.

What changes in government operations

After the transfer, the Secretary of State would have the same legal authorities the Secretary of Education previously had for these programs, unless another law says otherwise. Any references in federal law, rules, orders, or documents to the Secretary of Education or Department of Education for these programs would be treated as references to the Secretary of State or Department of State.

The bill would also transfer to the State Department the relevant:

• Personnel
• Assets and property
• Contracts and records
• Liabilities
• Unspent appropriated funds tied to the transferred programs

Those transferred funds could only be used for the purposes for which they were originally appropriated.

How the transition would work

The bill includes transition rules so existing grants, contracts, permits, orders, applications, and legal proceedings related to these programs would generally continue without interruption. Current cases or proceedings involving the Department of Education on these functions would not automatically end; the Department of State would be substituted where needed.

The bill allows the Secretary of State to delegate these responsibilities within the State Department. It also lets the Office of Management and Budget make needed determinations to carry out the transfer. OMB would have to certify to congressional committees that the law is being implemented, including a requirement that the change not result in a net increase in federal full-time-equivalent employees at affected agencies.

The bill says the transfer would generally take effect six months after enactment, though some implementation steps could begin earlier.

Relevant Companies

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