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S. 986 119th Congress Senate

Safe Schools Improvement Act

Official title: A bill to address and take action to prevent bullying and harassment of students.

Introduced: March 12, 2025 Introduced by: Tim Kaine Democratic · Virginia See on congress.gov
Education Assault and harassment offensesCensus and government statisticsChild safety and welfareCongressional oversight
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Data collection, sharing, protectionDisability and paralysisEducation programs fundingElementary and secondary educationGovernment information and archivesGovernment studies and investigationsRacial and ethnic relationsReligionSchool administrationSex, gender, sexual orientation discriminationState and local government operations
 Everywhere this bill has been 2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Mar 12, 2025
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Mar 12, 2025
Introduced in Senate
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What's happening now March 12, 2025

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Safe Schools Improvement Act

This bill requires states to direct their local educational agencies (LEAs) to establish policies that prevent and prohibit bullying and harassment of elementary and secondary school students. In particular, these policies must prohibit bullying and harassment based on race, color, national origin, disability, religion, or sex. Sex includes sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics (including intersex traits).

Further, LEAs must provide (1) students, parents, and educational professionals with annual notice of the conduct prohibited in their disciplinary policies; (2) students and parents with grievance procedures that target such conduct; and (3) the public with annual data on the incidence and frequency of that conduct at the school and LEA level.

The Department of Education must conduct and report on an independent biennial evaluation of programs and policies to combat bullying and harassment in elementary and secondary schools. The National Center for Education Statistics must collect state data to determine the incidence and frequency of the conduct prohibited by LEA disciplinary policies.

 Related & companion bills 1
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
 Lobbying activity 11

Registered lobbyists who named this bill in their disclosure filings. Source: federal Lobbying Disclosure Act filings.

  • HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN
    for HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN · District of Columbia · 3rd Quarter 2026 (July 1 - Sep 30)
  • HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN
    for HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN · District of Columbia · 2nd Quarter 2026 (Apr 1 - June 30)
  • HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN
    for HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN · District of Columbia · 1st Quarter 2026 (Jan 1 - Mar 31)
  • HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN
    for HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN · District of Columbia · 4th Quarter 2025 (Oct 1 - Dec 31)
  • HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN
    for HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN · District of Columbia · 3rd Quarter 2025 (July 1 - Sep 30)
  • HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN
    for HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN · District of Columbia · 2nd Quarter 2025 (Apr 1 - June 30)

Bodies those filers lobbied

A filing lists the bills it worked on and the parts of government it contacted in separate sections, so these are the bodies those filers named anywhere in the filing, not a per-bill breakdown.

See all 11 filings →
 Cosponsors 42
D
Gallego, Ruben
Arizona · Sep 23, 2026
D
Hassan, Margaret Wood
New Hampshire · Sep 14, 2026
D
Gillibrand, Kirsten E.
New York · Aug 4, 2026
D
Schatz, Brian
Hawaii · Aug 3, 2026
D
Whitehouse, Sheldon
Rhode Island · Mar 4, 2026
D
Alsobrooks, Angela D.
Maryland · Mar 2, 2026
D
Kelly, Mark
Arizona · Feb 10, 2026
D
Van Hollen, Chris
Maryland · Feb 10, 2026
D
Slotkin, Elissa
Michigan · Jan 28, 2026
D
Reed, Jack
Rhode Island · Jan 12, 2026
D
Schiff, Adam B.
California · Jan 12, 2026
D
Blunt Rochester, Lisa
Delaware · Nov 19, 2025
D
Kim, Andy
New Jersey · Nov 7, 2025
D
Luján, Ben Ray
New Mexico · Oct 23, 2025
D
Heinrich, Martin
New Mexico · Mar 24, 2025
D
Cantwell, Maria
Washington · Mar 13, 2025
D
Baldwin, Tammy
Wisconsin · Mar 12, 2025
D
Bennet, Michael F.
Colorado · Mar 12, 2025
D
Blumenthal, Richard
Connecticut · Mar 12, 2025
D
Booker, Cory A.
New Jersey · Mar 12, 2025
D
Coons, Christopher A.
Delaware · Mar 12, 2025
D
Cortez Masto, Catherine
Nevada · Mar 12, 2025
D
Duckworth, Tammy
Illinois · Mar 12, 2025
D
Durbin, Richard J.
Illinois · Mar 12, 2025
D
Fetterman, John
Pennsylvania · Mar 12, 2025
D
Hickenlooper, John W.
Colorado · Mar 12, 2025
D
Hirono, Mazie K.
Hawaii · Mar 12, 2025
D
Klobuchar, Amy
Minnesota · Mar 12, 2025
D
Markey, Edward J.
Massachusetts · Mar 12, 2025
D
Merkley, Jeff
Oregon · Mar 12, 2025
D
Murphy, Christopher
Connecticut · Mar 12, 2025
D
Murray, Patty
Washington · Mar 12, 2025
D
Padilla, Alex
California · Mar 12, 2025
D
Peters, Gary C.
Michigan · Mar 12, 2025
D
Rosen, Jacky
Nevada · Mar 12, 2025
I
Sanders, Bernard
Vermont · Mar 12, 2025
D
Shaheen, Jeanne
New Hampshire · Mar 12, 2025
D
Smith, Tina
Minnesota · Mar 12, 2025
D
Warner, Mark R.
Virginia · Mar 12, 2025
D
Warren, Elizabeth
Massachusetts · Mar 12, 2025
D
Welch, Peter
Vermont · Mar 12, 2025
D
Wyden, Ron
Oregon · Mar 12, 2025
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 986: Safe Schools Improvement Act. 119th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/119-S-986/
MLA
"S. 986: Safe Schools Improvement Act." 119th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/119-S-986/.
Bluebook (legal)
S. 986, 119th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/119-S-986/.
Markdown link
[S. 986: Safe Schools Improvement Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/119-S-986/)
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