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NCSL Updates
New NCSL Congressional Budget Reconciliation Tracker
NCSL’s new congressional budget reconciliation process tracker provides an overview of legislative changes as they advance through Congress. The tool, developed by NCSL’s state-federal team, enables users to follow the evolving policy recommendations and assess how proposed changes may influence state budgets and operations. Policy areas covered include health care, social services, energy, finance, taxes, education and more. View the tracker here.
Administration Updates
Department of Education Releases Grant Priorities
The department announced the secretary of education’s new supplemental priorities for grants. Each administration sets its own supplemental priorities, which are used to determine awards for competitive grants. One of the new priorities is “returning education to the states,” which will prioritize state applicants for grants in which states are eligible grantees. The other priorities are evidence-based literacy and expanding education choice. Read more
Congressional Updates
Second Chance Act Reauthorization Reintroduced
U.S. Sens. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.V.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Reps. Carol Miller (D-W.V.) and Danny K. Davis (D-Ill.) introduced the Second Chance Act Reauthorization of 2025 in the Senate and House. The bill is the same as the one passed unanimously by the Senate last year. NCSL supports the Second Chance Act, which provides critical reentry grant programs and enhances services and support for housing, child care, career training and treatment for substance use disorders. Read more
Court Updates
Divided Supreme Court Blocks the Creation of a Religious Charter School
Last week, a divided Supreme Court let stand a lower court ruling banning the establishment of a taxpayer-funded religious charter school. The case, Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board v. Drummond, arose from the Oklahoma School Board approving an application by the archdiocese of Oklahoma City to create a virtual Catholic public charter school. With Justice
Amy Coney Barrett recusing herself, the remaining eight justices issued the ruling, which was a 4-4 tie. The ruling applies only in Oklahoma. Read more