H.R. 10515 — Artificial Intelligence Education and Workforce Readiness Act of 2026

This section establishes a competitive grant program under which the Secretary of Education awards grants to eligible consortia to develop and implement artificial intelligence-disrupted career pathways. Pathways must combine training in the humanities, social sciences, and artificial intelligence literacy and governance with paid work-based learning opportunities such as apprenticeships or internships, lead to a recognized postsecondary credential, and align with regional labor market demand. The Secretary must prioritize consortia serving underserved communities, incorporating apprenticeships, or targeting in-demand and emerging roles. Grantees must submit annual reports containing aggregated and anonymized participant outcome data, including completion rates, employment in AI-augmented and non-AI-augmented occupations, and median earnings, which the Secretary publishes in a publicly accessible online format.

This section establishes a pilot grant program under which the Secretary of Education awards funds to institutions of higher education, area career and technical education schools, local or state workforce boards, recognized private certification organizations, or consortia of such entities to develop stackable micro-credentials in artificial intelligence-disrupted career pathways that include training in artificial intelligence literacy and ethics. Grantees may use funds to design credentials stackable into associate or baccalaureate degrees or other recognized postsecondary credentials, train faculty, purchase instructional equipment and software, and evaluate program outcomes.

This section permits states to optionally describe in their plans under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act how they will support artificial intelligence-disrupted career pathways, including by coordinating with local and state workforce boards and higher education institutions to align pathways with regional labor market demand, supporting teacher and school leader training, disseminating related resources to local educational agencies, and facilitating partnerships among schools, nonprofits, employers, and workforce partners. It also directs federal technical assistance to states to prioritize those that include such a description.

This section subjects eligible entities receiving title IV grants under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 on or after enactment of the Artificial Intelligence Education and Workforce Readiness Act of 2026 to the requirements of section 6 of that Act for any artificial intelligence activities. It prohibits such entities from allowing artificial intelligence integrators or deployers to control curricular, instructional, or assessment materials or exercise decision-making authority over other educational content, and from conditioning student or educator participation on exclusive adoption of any artificial intelligence platform.

This section expands the allowable uses of subgrants under section 6612 to include high-quality in-service training on artificial intelligence ethics for teachers, principals, superintendents, and other school leaders. The training must prepare recipients to use AI to improve instruction, assessment, and family communication without replacing educators or core capacities such as instructional judgment and student evaluation; ensure human oversight of AI outputs; communicate AI limitations to students and families; comply with FERPA, COPPA, and section 6 of the Artificial Intelligence Education and Workforce Readiness Act of 2026; and integrate humanities and social sciences components into AI instruction.

This section expands the Education Innovation and Research program to support innovations that prepare high-need students for artificial intelligence-augmented occupations. It requires the Secretary to prioritize grants for curricula, assessments, and tools addressing artificial intelligence-disrupted career pathways, responsible artificial intelligence use for student mental health, and humanities and social sciences components. It also authorizes grants to institutions of higher education for research on artificial intelligence ethics and governance in humanities and social sciences departments and for collaborative networks that develop model curricula, faculty training, and student research on artificial intelligence ethics, with the Secretary required to publish the curricula on a website.

This section establishes a National Science Foundation grant program, administered through the Assistant Directors for STEM Education, Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships, and Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences in consultation with the Secretary of Labor, to create Regional Centers for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence in Education and Work. The centers coordinate and synthesize research on AI effects on teaching practices, student outcomes, teacher retention, job tasks, skill requirements, earnings, and working conditions; address knowledge gaps; disseminate model curricula to local and state educational agencies; and submit annual public reports, while the Director submits annual reports to Congress with legislative recommendations. Grants must support geographic and sectoral diversity and prioritize partnerships with institutions under section 371(a) of the Higher Education Act, community colleges, rural institutions, labor organizations, small businesses, and industry-sector partnerships. Centers may not commercialize AI products or conduct unrelated research.

This section directs the Director of the Institute of Education Sciences to develop, publish, and distribute practice guides on the responsible use of artificial intelligence in elementary and secondary education for educators, school leaders, and education agencies, including recommendations on instruction and assessment, mitigation of academic dishonesty and algorithmic bias, increasing artificial intelligence literacy, and compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. It expands regional educational laboratory activities to research and disseminate findings on artificial intelligence integration in instruction, assessment, and administration, and to provide technical assistance on responsible use, privacy compliance, and risk management practices. It also requires the laboratories’ governing boards to include experts in artificial intelligence ethics, risk management, and privacy, as well as representatives of workers and employers in artificial intelligence-augmented occupations.

This section directs the Secretary of Labor, in consultation with the Secretaries of Education and Commerce, the National Science Foundation Director, and the Office of Science and Technology Policy Director, to develop and publish a National Artificial Intelligence Workforce Strategy within 1 year of enactment. The strategy must analyze artificial intelligence's labor market impacts, evaluate gaps in federal data on AI-augmented occupations, identify necessary skills and vulnerable occupations, recommend data system interoperability standards, and set national objectives for workforce participation, reskilling rates, and access by underserved communities. The Secretary must update the strategy at least every 3 years and submit each version to the House Education and Workforce Committee and the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee within 30 days of publication.

This section establishes the Artificial Intelligence Workforce and Industry Coordination Council as an advisory committee to the Secretary of Labor, in consultation with the Secretaries of Commerce and Education. The Council advises on development and implementation of the National Artificial Intelligence Workforce Strategy, recommends methods to expand AI education and training access for underserved communities, identifies sector-specific skill frameworks emphasizing critical thinking, AI ethics, and human oversight of AI outputs, develops guidelines for education-employer partnerships in AI-impacted industries, and publishes an annual report. The Council has up to 23 members drawn from employers in AI-impacted sectors, labor organizations, workforce boards, diverse higher education institutions, nonprofits focused on AI ethics and equity, and AI developers, integrators, and deployers.

This section requires each State board to develop a State Artificial Intelligence Workforce Implementation Plan consistent with the National Artificial Intelligence Workforce Strategy. Each plan must identify key artificial intelligence-augmented occupations and reskilling targets within the State and incorporate into the Unified State Plan under 20 C.F.R. 676.105.

This section establishes a competitive grant program administered by the Secretary of Labor through the Office of Apprenticeship to fund registered apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeships in artificial intelligence-impacted industries. It authorizes funds for developing learning standards and instructional materials on AI ethics, algorithmic bias, and accessibility; providing child care and transportation stipends; training supervisors on inclusive mentorship and human oversight of AI outputs; and prioritizing partnerships that recruit from and serve underserved communities. It also requires apprenticeship registration under 29 CFR parts 29 and 30, transferable postsecondary credentials, outcome reporting using Standard Occupational Classification codes, and annual reports to Congress.

This section establishes a competitive grant program, administered by the Secretary of Labor in consultation with the Secretary of Education, to fund eligible entities—including local and state workforce boards, community colleges, employers, labor-management partnerships, and nonprofits—for the development and implementation of artificial intelligence reskilling programs. It requires grant applications to address equitable access for participants with limited prior AI exposure, directs priority to programs serving underserved communities, in-demand roles, or incumbent workers in AI-impacted industries, and authorizes use of funds for open-access curricula, faculty training on ethics and accessibility, and participant supports such as stipends, wage subsidies, child care, transportation, and career navigation. It also imposes annual reporting requirements on grantees and the Secretary.

This section establishes a grant program administered by the Secretary of Labor, in consultation with the Secretary of Education and the National Science Foundation Director, to fund fellowships for elementary, secondary, and postsecondary educators seeking experience in artificial intelligence ethics and governance, and for Federal, State, and local government employees seeking policymaking capacity in artificial intelligence governance and risk management. Fellowships last 6 to 24 months, require training on responsible artificial intelligence use, data governance, and algorithmic bias mitigation, and must produce a published report on artificial intelligence applications in education or the workforce; the section also authorizes interagency placements and requires annual reports from grantees and the Secretary to Congress.

This section requires State vocational rehabilitation plans to describe how programs will enable individuals with disabilities to use artificial intelligence and participate in AI-augmented occupations, and provide training to employers on AI accessibility and workplace accommodations. It directs the Commissioner to provide technical assistance to State agencies, employers, and workforce entities on accessible AI design, accommodations in AI-augmented jobs, and implementation of the new plan requirements, in consultation with specified federal officials, and to solicit external input on disabilities-related guidance for hiring, monitoring, and disciplining employees.

This section establishes a new tax credit equal to 40 percent of an employer’s qualified expenses for employee participation in artificial intelligence reskilling programs. The credit is capped at $250,000 for taxpayers with gross receipts below $25 million and at $1 million for all other taxpayers. Qualified programs include those listed under section 122(d) of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3152(d)), specified reskilling and apprenticeship programs under the Artificial Intelligence Education and Workforce Readiness Act of 2026, employer- or industry-sponsored programs, and substantially equivalent programs that award industry-recognized credentials. Qualified small businesses and tax-exempt organizations may elect to apply up to $250,000 of the credit against payroll taxes.

This section requires each recipient of a grant under section 204 or 205 to submit an annual report to the Secretary of Labor that identifies projected or actual worker displacement from artificial intelligence deployment, describes related reskilling activities including numbers served and placement outcomes, and details reemployment rates and wage changes disaggregated by Standard Occupational Classification code, geography, and demographic group. It directs the Secretary to publish state-level aggregated summaries of the data without personally identifiable information.

This section establishes a competitive grant program, administered by the Secretary of Education in consultation with the Secretary of Labor, to promote equitable access to artificial intelligence education in elementary schools, secondary schools, and institutions of higher education. Eligible consortia consisting of at least two local or state educational agencies, public libraries, museums, or other entities with digital literacy expertise may use funds to develop and translate AI literacy curricula into the five most common non-English languages among students, conduct public awareness campaigns on AI safety and ethics, and train teachers and librarians.

This section establishes a competitive grant program administered by the Secretary of Education to build capacity for artificial intelligence education and research at minority-serving institutions specified in section 371(a) of the Higher Education Act or their consortia. It requires the Secretary to prioritize applicants that provide matching funds, partner with employers or workforce boards, and include women, first-generation, and low-income students. Grants may fund AI research centers, curricula in AI and data science, faculty training, student incubators for underserved communities, and employer-linked internships. Eligible entities and the Secretary must submit annual reports on activities and outcomes.

This section expands allowable uses of grants to historically black colleges and universities to include establishing or expanding programs in artificial intelligence and data science that incorporate education in artificial intelligence ethics and accessibility. It expands allowable uses of grants to tribal colleges and universities to include developing curricula related to artificial intelligence that respect tribal cultural knowledge and data governance principles. It expands allowable uses of grants to Hispanic-serving institutions to include increasing capacity for education and research related to artificial intelligence, including faculty training.

This section establishes a competitive grant program administered by the Secretary of Education to assist individuals from underserved communities in pursuing artificial intelligence-disrupted career pathways and artificial intelligence-augmented occupations. Eligible entities include institutions specified in section 371(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 and their consortia with employers, local or state boards, or industry partnerships. The Secretary must prioritize entities where at least 30 percent of students received Pell Grants and those collaborating with employers or labor organizations for internships or jobs. Grants may fund scholarships covering tuition and cost of attendance, childcare and transportation assistance, assistive technology, internet access, internship placements, career navigation, faculty training on AI ethics and the humanities, mentorship networks, and events promoting inclusive employment practices. Grants last up to 5 years and require annual reports on student enrollment, graduation rates, and employment outcomes disaggregated by race, ethnicity, sex, disability status, Pell Grant receipt, and first-generation status.

This section establishes a program administered by the Secretary of Labor to promote and measure equitable participation in artificial intelligence-augmented occupations by women, racial and ethnic minorities, individuals with disabilities, veterans, and individuals from rural and other underserved communities. It requires the Secretary, in consultation with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Secretary of Commerce, to establish measurable benchmarks for recruitment, training, placement, retention, and advancement and to publish annual aggregated national and state-level progress data beginning one year after enactment.

This section directs the Secretary of Labor to award competitive grants to state and local workforce development boards, institutions of higher education, nonprofits with workforce development experience, and labor organizations. The grants fund mentorship, internship, and networking programs that connect individuals described in section 305(a) with employers and academic institutions in artificial intelligence-impacted industries, including stipends, regional workshops for underserved communities, and outcome evaluations.

This section directs the Secretary of Labor, jointly with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, to issue guidance to employers within 180 days of enactment on the use of artificial intelligence in recruitment, training, and performance evaluation of employees. It also requires the guidance to address employer liability under Federal employment laws for decisions made or assisted by third-party artificial intelligence software and adoption of the designated risk management framework for those functions.

This section defines "artificial intelligence infrastructure operator" as a person or entity that owns or operates a data center used substantially for the training, deployment, or operation of artificial intelligence; "covered community" as a geographic area in which artificial intelligence is sited, proposed to be sited, or under development; and "federal nexus" as an operator that receives federal financial assistance for AI infrastructure or operates such infrastructure under a federal permit, license, or authorization.

This section establishes a grant program administered by the Secretary of Labor, in consultation with the Environmental Protection Agency, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and National Science Foundation, to award competitive grants to states, local governments, nonprofits, and institutions of higher education for training and capacity building on oversight of environmental impacts from artificial intelligence infrastructure. It excludes artificial intelligence developers, integrators, deployers, and operators from eligibility, prioritizes grants serving covered and underserved communities, and requires biennial reports from grantees and the Secretary.

This section authorizes the National Science Foundation Director, in consultation with the Environmental Protection Agency Administrator, to award grants and cooperative agreements to institutions of higher education and nonprofit research organizations for research on the environmental and public health impacts of artificial intelligence infrastructure on covered communities, including underserved communities, as well as effects on local labor markets, natural resource availability, and environmental justice considerations. It limits such research to diagnostic or evaluative purposes, requires priority for proposals focused on underserved communities, and directs dissemination of findings to centers established under section 107.

This section requires artificial intelligence infrastructure operators with a federal nexus to disclose to covered communities, before applying for federal permits or assistance, verified projections of annual energy and water consumption (including water sources and cooling methods), land use impacts, and a contact point. It mandates annual updates comparing actual to projected use for five years after operations begin, directs federal agencies to consider energy and water consumption when procuring AI systems, and requires the Office of Management and Budget to issue implementing guidance within one year; noncompliance triggers at least one year of ineligibility for federal assistance.

This section directs the National Institute of Standards and Technology to develop, within one year of enactment, measurement standards for the energy and water consumption of artificial intelligence systems at the level of an individual query, task, or inference, and requires federal agencies to use those standards when procuring or adopting such systems. It also requires the Office of Science and Technology Policy to conduct and publish a biennial inventory of federal artificial intelligence energy and water consumption beginning within two years, makes the standards publicly available in plain language, and requires their incorporation into funded artificial intelligence literacy curricula.

This section directs the Secretary of Education to develop, within one year of enactment, a secure portal for receiving reports of breaches of personally identifiable student data from entities receiving funds under the Act. It requires reports to the House Education and Workforce Committee and the Senate HELP Committee within 30 days for any breach affecting at least 10,000 students and annual reports listing all breaches, students affected, security trends, and recommendations for legislative or administrative action.

This section defines surveillance to include monitoring, tracking, or analysis of an individual’s information or data on behavior, movement, communications, or biometrics through artificial intelligence tools. It directs the Secretary of Education, in consultation with the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, to establish a framework for assessing privacy, bias, safety, and security risks of artificial intelligence tools in elementary, secondary, and postsecondary education. The framework must identify harms such as discriminatory profiling and excessive surveillance, document mitigation practices, evaluate compliance with accessibility and safety standards, incorporate feedback from students, parents, and educators, and address risks including algorithmic bias, harmful content, student cognitive development, data privacy, and human oversight. Summaries of assessments must be published on the Department of Education website.

This section directs the Secretary of Education, in consultation with the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, to issue guidance within 180 days on the safe and responsible use of artificial intelligence in elementary, secondary, and postsecondary education. The guidance addresses application of AI ethics to generative tools, safeguards against harmful content including self-harm, harassment, and substance abuse, and procedures for parental notification and opt-out. It also requires development and dissemination of model contract clauses, family consent templates, model policies to mitigate academic dishonesty and misuse of student data, educator checklists, and other supporting documents, with updates at least every two years.

This section prohibits entities receiving funds under the Act from relying exclusively on automated decision systems when making covered decisions about a participant's admission, continuation, completion, or placement in a funded program. It requires providers of such systems to conduct pre-deployment and annual testing for efficacy and discriminatory impacts, and requires grantees to disclose system use and input data to participants in plain language, provide meaningful human review before use, offer participants an opportunity for human review of decisions, and train personnel on system limitations and biases.

This section requires the Secretary of Education, in consultation with the Secretary of Labor, to enter into memoranda of understanding with the Federal Trade Commission, the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the Attorney General to coordinate guidance, investigations, and enforcement under this title. The memoranda assign the Federal Trade Commission to advise on unfair or deceptive practices involving commercial data use, the National Institute of Standards and Technology to advise on risks from artificial intelligence tools and automated decision systems, and the Attorney General to advise on data security and discrimination compliance.

This section subjects entities that fail to comply with the requirements of this title to the enforcement mechanisms under section 6(c). It requires the Secretary of Education to refer knowing or repeated violations of the prohibition on the commercial use of personally identifiable student data to the Federal Trade Commission for appropriate action under section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act.