H.R. 433: Department of Education Protection Act

H.R. 433 is one paragraph long in its operative section. It does not create an office, fund a program, or abolish anything. It restricts what the Department of Education can do with the money it already has.

Under the bill, none of the department's current-year funding could be spent carrying out a reorganization. The definition is wide: decentralizing the department, reducing its staff, or changing its responsibilities, structure, authority, or functionality all count.

The yardstick is January 1, 2025. Any change is measured against how the department was organized and operating on that date, and the restriction applies regardless of any other law that might be cited as authority for a reorganization.

The bill's findings name the 18 offices and institutes that make up that baseline, including Federal Student Aid, the Institute of Education Sciences, the Office for Civil Rights, the Office of English Language Acquisition, and the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services. The findings also argue that creating, structuring, funding, and deciding whether an agency continues to exist are roles that belong to Congress.

The limit covers one fiscal year of already-appropriated money. Keeping it in place beyond that would take new language in a later spending bill or a separate law.