H.R. 8975

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8975 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8975

To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require 
that annual State report cards reflect the same race groups as the 
decennial census of population.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

May 21, 2026

Ms. Jayapal (for herself, Mr. Case, Ms. Davids of Kansas, Ms. DelBene, 
Mr. Garcia of Illinois, Mr. Gomez, Mr. Khanna, Ms. Meng, Ms. Norton, 
and Ms. Schakowsky) introduced the following bill; which was referred 
to the Committee on Education and Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require 
that annual State report cards reflect the same race groups as the 
decennial census of population.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``All Students Count Act of 2026''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress finds the following:
(1) Asian Americans, as well as Native Hawaiians and 
Pacific Islanders, are an incredibly diverse population. Due to 
this diversity, the United States Office of Management and 
Budget's Statistical Policy Directive No. 15 of 1997, entitled 
``Race and Ethnic Standards for Federal Statistics and 
Administrative Reporting'', separated the Asian and Pacific 
Islander category into two distinct and separate categories, 
now called ``Asians'' and ``Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific 
Islanders'', and these two distinct categories were used in the 
2000 United States Census. As of 2022, the United States Census 
Bureau reports data for at least 27 different ethnicities 
within these two categories.
(2) While Asian Americans, as well as Native Hawaiians and 
Pacific Islanders, are often misrepresented as a homogeneous 
group, their diversity represents ethnicities from over 30 
different countries. They also experience diverse social and 
educational differences that are unique to their respective 
communities.
(3) For example, there are now over 3,000,000 Southeast 
Asian Americans in the United States, including 1,100,000 
refugees from Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam, who escaped war, 
persecution, and genocide. Southeast Asian Americans' 
experiences with violence and the stressors associated with 
relocation have negatively affected their educational outcomes. 
According to data from the Bureau of the Census, around a 
quarter of Southeast Asian American adults aged 25 and older do 
not have a high school diploma, compared to 12 percent of the 
total population. An additional 42 percent of Cambodian, 44 
percent of Hmong, 48 percent of Lao, and 37 percent of 
Vietnamese American high school graduates have not continued on 
to earn their bachelor's degree, compared to 29 percent of all 
Asian Americans.
(4) The history of Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders 
include forced migration and complex political relationships 
with the United States. As a result, this history has 
influenced Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander students' long-
term educational opportunities. For example, the high school 
graduation rates for Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders 
average 84 percent, yet less than 15 percent have attained a 
four-year bachelor's degree. The proportion of Native Hawaiian 
and Pacific Islander adults who have not enrolled in any 
postsecondary education is particularly high, including 58 
percent of Samoans, 57 percent of Tongans, 53 percent of Native 
Hawaiians, and 49 percent of Guamanians or Chamorros.
(5) The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 
requires that States report certain educational data 
disaggregated only by major racial and ethnic groups. However, 
detailed ethnic groups, which have long been reported by the 
Bureau of the Census and requested by diverse Asian American 
and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities to be 
included in education data, are not included in data collection 
and reporting requirements. As of 2026, data requirements do 
not reflect the changing demographics, varied experiences, and 
needs of public school students.
(6) Given the diversity in backgrounds and educational 
experiences, disaggregating data for detailed Asian American 
and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander ethnic groups and 
making the data publicly available and accessible are critical 
to identifying and supporting the educational needs of these 
diverse communities.

SEC. 3. DISAGGREGATION OF INFORMATION ON STUDENT PERFORMANCE.

(a) Further Disaggregation of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and 
Pacific Islander Student Data.--Section 1111(b)(2)(B)(xi) of the 
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
6311(b)(2)(B)(xi)) is amended by striking ``ethnic group;'' and 
inserting ``ethnic group, including--
``(aa) under the category 
of `Asian American', Chinese, 
Asian Indian, Filipino, 
Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, 
Pakistani, Cambodian, Hmong, 
Laotian, Thai, Taiwanese, 
Burmese, Bangladeshi, and 
Nepalese sub-groups, and, to 
the greatest extent 
practicable, additional 
subgroups such as the lu Mien 
and Montagnards; and
``(bb) under the category 
of `Native Hawaiian and Pacific 
Islander', Native Hawaiian, 
Samoan, Chamorro, Tongan, 
iTaukei, and Marshallese, and, 
to the greatest extent 
practicable, additional 
subgroups such as the Chuukese 
and Palauan.''.
(b) Further Defining Subgroups Under Statewide Accountability 
System.--Section 1111(c)(2)(B) of that Act (20 U.S.C. 6311(c)(2)(B)) is 
amended by inserting ``(as described in subsection (b)(2)(B)(xi))'' 
after ``ethnic group''.
(c) Effective Date.--This section, and the amendments made by this 
section, shall take effect on the date that is 18 months after the date 
of enactment of this Act.
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