August 4, 2026
Mr. Sheehy (for himself, Mr. Budd, Mr. Tuberville, and Mrs. Blackburn) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to include certain curriculum expenses as permissible uses of funds, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the K–12 AI Literacy and Readiness Act of 2026
.
Sec. 2. Allowing funds for artificial intelligence curricula
(a) State allowable uses for student instruction
Section 4104(b)(3)(A)(i) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7114(b)(3)(A)(i)) is amended—
(1)
in subclause (VI), by striking or
after the semicolon;
(2)
by redesignating subclause (VII) as subclause (VIII); and
(3)
by inserting after subclause (VI) the following:
(VII)
the use of artificial intelligence (as defined in section 5002 of the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act of 2020 (15 U.S.C. 9401)) in a manner that is safe, effective, and responsible; or
(b) State allowable uses for teachers and school leaders
Section 4104(b)(3)(C) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7114(b)(3)(C)) is amended—
(1)
in clause (v), by striking and
after the semicolon;
(2)
in clause (vi), by striking the period at the end and inserting ; and
; and
(3)
by adding at the end the following:
(vii)
providing teachers, paraprofessionals, school librarians and media personnel, specialized instructional support personnel, and administrators with the knowledge and skills to use, and teach the use of, artificial intelligence (as defined in section 5002 of the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act of 2020 (15 U.S.C. 9401)) safely, effectively, and responsibly, including through professional development.
(c) Local allowable uses for student instruction
Section 4107(a)(3) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7117(a)(3)) is amended—
(1)
in subparagraph (I), by striking or
after the semicolon;
(2)
by redesignating subparagraph (J) as subparagraph (K); and
(3)
by inserting after subparagraph (I) the following:
(J)
instruction on the use of artificial intelligence (as defined in section 5002 of the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act of 2020 (15 U.S.C. 9401)) in a manner that is safe, effective, and responsible; or
(d) Local allowable uses for teachers and school leaders
Section 4109(a) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7119(a)) is amended—
(1)
in paragraph (5), by striking and
after the semicolon;
(2)
in paragraph (6), by striking the period at the end and inserting ; and
; and
(3)
by adding at the end the following:
(7)
providing teachers, paraprofessionals, school librarians and media personnel, specialized instructional support personnel, and administrators with the knowledge and skills to use, and teach the use of, artificial intelligence (as defined in section 5002 of the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act of 2020 (15 U.S.C. 9401)) safely, effectively, and responsibly, including through professional development.