Sponsor
Randy Fine
Representative · R-FL
Representative · R-FL
The bill expands allowable uses of federal education funds to grow AI literacy and training—improving student and educator preparedness and reducing certain risks—while risking diversion of scarce education dollars, added implementation costs for districts, and privacy/vendor-lock-in concerns.
Students and educators will get instruction and professional development on safe, effective, and responsible AI use, increasing digital literacy and preparing students for AI-driven workplaces.
Training on responsible AI use in schools can reduce harms such as privacy violations, algorithmic bias, and misuse of tools, improving student safety when using AI.
State and local education agencies can flexibly use existing federal education funds to adopt AI training without waiting for new appropriations, enabling quicker, locally driven implementation.
Allowing federal education funds to be used for AI training risks diverting limited resources away from other high-priority needs like remediation, special education, and basic classroom supplies.
If AI instruction normalizes reliance on proprietary systems, students' data privacy could be at greater risk and districts may face vendor lock-in with private technology providers.
Implementation will impose costs to procure AI tools, curricula, and trainer capacity, which could strain smaller or rural districts and widen disparities.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Allows ESEA funds to be used for student AI literacy instruction and for educator professional development on safe, effective, and responsible AI use.
Official title: To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to include certain curriculum expenses as permissible uses of funds, and for other purposes.
Introduced May 12, 2026 by Randy Fine · Last progress May 12, 2026
Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to allow state and local education agencies to use ESEA-authorized funds for student instruction on the safe, effective, and responsible use of artificial intelligence and for professional development for teachers and other school staff to teach and use AI. The bill cross-references the statutory definition of "artificial intelligence" to 15 U.S.C. 9401 and adds explicit allowable-use language to multiple ESEA provisions. The change does not appropriate new funds or create new federal grant programs; it only expands permissible uses of existing ESEA funding streams so districts and states may spend those funds on AI literacy curricula, educator training, and related implementation activities if they choose to do so.