September 8, 2026
Mr. Gottheimer (for himself and Mr. Obernolte) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce
To direct the Secretary of Education to carry out a grant program to support the establishment and expansion of curricula in artificial intelligence in elementary and secondary schools, and for other purposes.
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the AI Learning, Advancement, and Building Skills Act
or the AI LABS Act
.
Sec. 2. Grants to States to support educational programs in artificial intelligence
(a) In general
The Secretary of Education (referred to in this section as the Secretary
) shall carry out a program under which the Secretary makes grants to States, on a competitive basis, to support the establishment and expansion of educational programs on artificial intelligence in elementary and secondary schools as described in subsection (c).
(b) Applications
To be eligible to receive a grant under this section, a State shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require.
(c) Use of funds
A State that receives a grant under this section shall use such grant to establish or expand educational programs on artificial intelligence in elementary and secondary schools, through—
(1)
the development of dedicated curricula to teach students how use and understand artificial intelligence; and
(2)
professional education for teachers to help teachers better understand artificial intelligence and incorporate it into teaching workflows.
(d) Study and report
(1) Study
The Secretary shall conduct a study on the grant program under this section. As part of the Study, the Secretary shall—
(A)
identify the States receiving funds under the program;
(B)
analyze how States are using such funds; and
(C)
based on such analysis, develop recommendations for future programs to support the training of students and teachers in artificial intelligence to ensure the United States remains a world leader in artificial intelligence education.
(2) Report
Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Education and Workforce of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate a report on the results of the study conducted under paragraph (1).
(e) Definitions
In this Act:
(1) Artificial intelligence
The term artificial intelligence has the meaning given that term in section 5002 of the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act of 2020 (division E of Public Law 116–283; 15 U.S.C. 9401).
(2) ESEA Terms
The terms elementary school, secondary school, and State have the meanings given those terms in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).