Sovereign States Education Restoration Act

The Sovereign States Education Restoration Act would abolish the federal Department of Education, effective 270 days after enactment, and repeal most of its programs (with certain programs identified as transferred instead). It directs that specific education functions be moved to other federal agencies (notably: special education functions to the Department of Health and Human Services; Office of Indian Education to the Department of the Interior; various student financial aid and loan programs to the Department of the Treasury; and related Education Sciences programs to Treasury). In place of a centralized DOE, the bill creates two nationwide block-grant programs—one for elementary/secondary education (including career and technical education) and one for postsecondary education—funded through the Department of the Treasury. States would receive allocations based on student population and would have broad latitude to spend the funds on education-related purposes, subject to certain accountability measures (data reporting, audits, and compliance with civil rights laws). Civil rights enforcement for the grant programs would fall to the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice. The bill also authorizes appropriations for sections 3–5 equal to the total DOE funding for fiscal year 2019, with caps: no more than 50% of the funding to be used for block grants and no more than 20% for administration/oversight.