This bill moves responsibility for international education and foreign language programs from the Department of Education to the Secretary of State. It specifically transfers Title VI international education programs and the Fulbright-Hays program to the Department of State. Part C of Title VI (the Institute for International Public Policy) is repealed. Personnel, assets, contracts, records, and unspent funds tied to the transferred functions are to be moved to the Department of State, and unexpended funds must be used for their originally authorized purposes. The Office of Management and Budget must ensure the transfers do not cause a net increase in federal full-time equivalent employees and may make related determinations. The Secretary of State may delegate the transferred functions but remains responsible for them. The law takes effect 6 months after enactment, though transfers may begin earlier to support an orderly transition. Existing orders, proceedings, and suits related to the transferred functions continue without interruption under the savings provisions.
If you are a student, researcher, educator, or institution that uses Title VI or Fulbright-Hays programs, the agency that manages those programs would change from the Department of Education to the Department of State. That could mean different agency contacts or program offices, but the bill does not specify changes to eligibility, funding levels, or application rules. Unfinished applications and ongoing proceedings tied to these programs continue as before until handled by the appropriate official. OMB will certify that employee counts do not rise because of the transfer.
No publicly available information on overall costs, savings, or budgetary estimates is provided in the bill text. The bill requires that unexpended balances transferred be used only for the purposes for which they were originally authorized. The Office of Management and Budget must ensure no net increase in federal full-time equivalent employees resulting from the transfers.
The bill’s short title, "Less Bureaucracy, Better International Education Oversight Act," and its text indicate the sponsor’s purpose is to centralize management of international education and foreign language programs in the Department of State to improve oversight and reduce bureaucracy. The bill was introduced by Representative Joe Wilson.
No publicly available information on opponents' stated views or objections is included in the bill text or provided metadata. The bill does repeal Part C of Title VI (the Institute for International Public Policy), which is a factual change noted in the text.