The AI Learning, Advancement, and Building Skills Act (AI LABS Act), H.R. 10315 in the 119th Congress, is a bill directing the Secretary of Education to make competitive grants to States to establish or expand artificial intelligence education programs in elementary and secondary schools. It was introduced in the House of Representatives on September 8, 2026 by Representative Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), with Representative Jay Obernolte (R-Calif.) as original cosponsor, and referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce (H.R. 10315 — AI LABS Act (bill text)). The funds would pay for dedicated AI curricula for students and professional education for teachers, and the Department of Education would study the program and report to Congress within a year of enactment. The text contains no authorization of appropriations.
| Jurisdiction | United States (federal) |
| Chamber | House of Representatives |
| Sponsor | Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ-5) |
| Original cosponsor | Rep. Jay Obernolte (R-CA-23) |
| Introduced | September 8, 2026 |
| Committee | House Education and Workforce |
| Administering agency | Department of Education |
| Status | Introduced; referred to committee |
Status and timeline
| Date | Action |
|---|---|
| 2026-09-04 | Announced by Gottheimer at George Washington Middle School in Ridgewood, N.J., as part of a "Bipartisan Back-to-School Agenda for AI in K-12 Education" |
| 2026-09-08 | Introduced in House by Rep. Gottheimer (for himself and Mr. Obernolte) |
| 2026-09-08 | Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce |
The announcement and first two actions are from Gottheimer's release and the congress.gov record (Source: gottheimer.house.gov; H.R. 10315 — AI LABS Act (bill text)). Only the introduced version exists, and no committee action had been recorded as of September 24, 2026.
Scope and definitions
The bill reaches elementary and secondary schools as defined in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801), which also supplies the definition of "State." "Artificial intelligence" takes the meaning in section 5002 of the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act of 2020 (15 U.S.C. 9401). The bill does not define AI literacy, curricula or professional education (H.R. 10315 — AI LABS Act (bill text)).
Key provisions
Grants to States (§ 2(a)–(b)). The Secretary of Education makes grants to States on a competitive basis. A State applies at the time, in the manner and with the information the Secretary requires. The text sets no selection criteria, award size, grant period, matching requirement or authorization amount, and does not direct States to pass funds to school districts or schools (H.R. 10315 — AI LABS Act (bill text)).
Uses of funds (§ 2(c)). A grantee State must use the grant to establish or expand AI education programs in elementary and secondary schools through (1) the development of dedicated curricula to teach students how to use and understand AI, and (2) professional education for teachers "to help teachers better understand artificial intelligence and incorporate it into teaching workflows" (H.R. 10315 — AI LABS Act (bill text)).
Study and report (§ 2(d)). The Secretary studies the program, identifying the States that receive funds, analyzing how they use them, and developing recommendations for future programs "to ensure the United States remains a world leader in artificial intelligence education." A report goes to the House Committee on Education and Workforce and the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions no later than one year after enactment (H.R. 10315 — AI LABS Act (bill text)).
The bill creates no mandate on schools or States, no curriculum requirement, and no enforcement mechanism. Participation is by application.
Announced purpose and the introduced text
Gottheimer's September 4, 2026 release describes the bill as directing the Department of Education "to create a new federal grant program or make resources from existing grant programs available to help K-12 schools establish dedicated AI labs, much like the computer and typing labs that became a fixture in schools a generation ago," with the labs giving students "hands-on curricula on how to use and understand AI" and helping teachers understand the technology and incorporate it into their classrooms. The release states that the bill builds on recommendations from the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association "for real, dedicated curricula that are directed and supervised by educators" (Source: gottheimer.house.gov). Nextgov/FCW's weekly bill roundup repeated the release's account of a new grant program or existing-grant resources for dedicated AI labs at K-12 schools (Source: nextgov.com).
The introduced text is narrower on three points. It establishes a new competitive program and does not mention existing grant programs; its grantees are States rather than schools; and its uses of funds are curricula and teacher professional education, with no reference to labs, equipment or facilities (H.R. 10315 — AI LABS Act (bill text)).
The Back-to-School agenda
Gottheimer presented the bill alongside other measures on AI and screen time in schools. His remarks framed it as an alternative to outright restriction, citing New York City's policy "banning AI tools outright for every student through eighth grade": "an outright ban doesn't teach a single kid how to use AI responsibly." He said that "our students need to learn how to think, solve problems, ask questions, and understand the material for themselves, not through a chatbot." The same agenda included support for the bipartisan UNPLUGGED Act of Representatives Eugene Vindman and Jen Kiggans, which would support state and local policies keeping personal devices out of classrooms and establish a Department of Education grant program for lock boxes and pouches; a letter to New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill and Education Commissioner Lily Laux on the state's Phone-Free Schools Grant Program; a call for New Jersey to dedicate K-12 resources to AI literacy, ethics and practical skills; and a letter to the FCC and NTIA urging priority broadband deployment to rural and underserved school districts (Source: gottheimer.house.gov). New York City's student-facing AI moratorium is described at Education — AI Deployment.
Comparison with other federal AI-education bills
| Bill | Chamber, sponsors | Administering agency | Grantees | Funded activities |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AI LABS Act (H.R. 10315) | House; Gottheimer, Obernolte | Department of Education | States, competitive | Student AI curricula; teacher professional education; departmental study |
| LIFT AI Act (S. 4414; House companion H.R. 5584) | Senate; Schiff, Rounds | National Science Foundation | Higher-education institutions and nonprofits, merit-reviewed | K-12 AI-literacy curricula, instructional materials, teacher professional development, evaluation methods |
| Data Science and Literacy Act | House; Stevens, with Baird, Beyer, Fitzpatrick | Department of Education | Not stated in available coverage | Data-science curricula, student support, professional development and education partnerships, pre-K through community college |
Sources for the comparison rows: H.R. 10315 — AI LABS Act (bill text); LIFT AI Act (Literacy in Future Technologies Artificial Intelligence Act); (Source: nextgov.com). The Data Science and Literacy Act was introduced on September 10, 2026, two days after H.R. 10315.
Open questions
- The amount the program would be funded at is not stated; the bill carries no authorization of appropriations.
- Whether States would be expected to subgrant to districts or schools, as the announcement's account of school labs implies, is left to the Secretary's application requirements.
Relationships
- depends-on: H.R. 10315 — AI LABS Act (bill text) — the bill text as introduced.
- instance-of: AI in Education — federal funding for K-12 AI instruction.
- related: AI Literacy — student curricula on using and understanding AI.
- related: LIFT AI Act (Literacy in Future Technologies Artificial Intelligence Act) — Senate K-12 AI-literacy grants through the NSF.
- related: Josh Gottheimer — sponsor; Jay Obernolte — original cosponsor.
- related: American Federation of Teachers (AFT) — curricula recommendations the sponsor cites.
- related: Education — AI Deployment — sector of deployment; Digital divide — the broadband letter in the same agenda.