H.R. 9603 · 119th Congress

Less Bureaucracy, Better International Education Oversight Act

Introduced on Jul 9, 2026 by Joe Wilson (R-SC-2). Latest action (Jul 15, 2026): Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 20 - 16.

Stage
Introduced
Introduced
Jul 9, 2026
Cosponsors
0
Policy area
Education
Open in the Congress explorerCongress.govAlert me

Progress

The furthest stage the measure reached. Simple and concurrent resolutions do not go to the President.

  1. Introduced
  2. 2Reported by committee
  3. 3Passed one chamber
  4. 4Passed both chambers
  5. 5Sent to the President
  6. 6Became law

Official title

To ensure the Department of State will manage all international education and foreign language studies programs under Title VI of the Higher Education Act, as well as all Fulbright-Hays fellowships and scholarships, and for other purposes.

Subjects

  • Area studies and international education
  • Cultural exchanges and relations
  • Department of Education
  • Department of State
  • Executive agency funding and structure
  • Higher education
  • International exchange and broadcasting
  • Student aid and college costs

Summary

By the Congressional Research Service (Introduced in House, Jul 9, 2026). Public domain.

Less Bureaucracy, Better International Education Oversight Act

This bill transfers specified functions relating to international and foreign language studies programs from the Department of Education (ED) to the Department of State.

Specifically, the bill transfers to the State Department all the functions and authorities exercised by ED before the bill's effective date related to international education programs in higher education (e.g., programs including National Resource Centers, Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowships, and International Research and Studies) and the Fulbright-Hays Program. (On November 18, 2025, ED announced an interagency agreement with the State Department for the State Department to manage competitions, provide technical assistance, and integrate ED's programs with the State Department's existing programs, while ED must maintain its statutory responsibilities and program oversight.)

The bill also repeals the Institute for International Public Policy.

Additionally, the bill transfers to the State Department all personnel and appropriations related to the functions that are transferred under this bill.

The bill outlines the authority of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) related to the functions that are transferred under this bill, including that OMB must ensure that this bill does not create a net increase in full-time equivalent employees at the State Department or ED. Further, OMB must certify compliance with the bill to specified congressional committees.

The transfer of these functions does not affect any suits, proceedings, or applications for benefits, services, licenses, permits, certificates, or financial assistance that are pending on the date of this bill's effective date.

Sponsor and cosponsors

Cosponsors by party as of the day they signed on. Original cosponsors signed on the day of introduction.

Joe WilsonR-SC-2Sponsor

No cosponsors.

Roll calls

Recorded votes on the measure. Most measures move by voice vote or unanimous consent, which record no individual positions.

No recorded roll call on this measure: it moved by voice vote or unanimous consent, or has not reached the floor.

History

Every action as published, oldest first. Roll calls link to how each member voted.

  1. Jul 9, 2026Introduced in House
  2. Jul 9, 2026Introduced in House
  3. Jul 9, 2026 · HouseReferred to the Committee on Education and Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
  4. Jul 9, 2026 · HouseReferred to the Committee on Education and Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
  5. Jul 15, 2026 · HouseCommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
  6. Jul 15, 2026 · HouseOrdered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 20 - 16.

Committees

Committees and subcommittees the measure was referred to.

Agencies in its committees' jurisdiction

Analisa's mapping of committee jurisdiction to federal agencies; the bill may touch others, or none of these.

Sources and method

Every figure on this page traces to these records.

  • Bill status: bills and resolutions, sponsors, actions, subjects and CRS summaries (U.S. Government Publishing Office (GovInfo), from Congress.gov (Library of Congress))GovInfo Bill Status bulk data (Congress.gov; summaries by the Congressional Research Service) · data current to Oct 9, 2026 · loaded Oct 9, 2026 · license: Public domain (U.S. Government work, 17 U.S.C. § 105)
  • Members of Congress, their terms, committees and identifiers (The @unitedstates project (from the Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress, the House and the Senate))unitedstates/congress-legislators: legislators, committees and current committee membership · data current to Oct 3, 2026 · loaded Oct 3, 2026 · license: CC0 1.0 (public domain dedication)
  • House roll-call votes (Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives)Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives, roll-call vote records · data current to Oct 3, 2026 · loaded Oct 3, 2026 · license: Public domain (U.S. Government work, 17 U.S.C. § 105)
  • Senate roll-call votes and DW-NOMINATE scores (Voteview (UCLA Department of Political Science))Lewis, Jeffrey B., Keith Poole, Howard Rosenthal, Adam Boche, Aaron Rudkin, and Luke Sonnet (2026). Voteview: Congressional Roll-Call Votes Database. https://voteview.com/ · data current to Oct 3, 2026 · loaded Oct 3, 2026 · license: Free to use with the required citation
  • Lobbying disclosures (LD-1 registrations, LD-2 quarterly reports, LD-203 contribution reports) (Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives)Clerk of the House, Lobbying Disclosure Act filings (organizations only; lobbyists' names are not loaded) · data current to Oct 9, 2026 · loaded Oct 9, 2026 · license: Public domain (U.S. Government work, 17 U.S.C. § 105)
  • Positions are shown only where a roll call recorded them; voice votes and unanimous consent record none.