House regulations committee pauses curriculum amendments tied to Act 26, approves update recognizing computer-based tests

The House Regulations, Administrative Procedures, Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity Committee on Monday paused consideration of a regulation change tied to Act 26 (2021), asked that an agency withdraw Document 5336, and approved an update to reflect computer-based testing and strengthened test-security provisions.

Committee members opened by noting a heavy schedule with other committees and a press conference, then turned to committee business. Unidentified Speaker 3 told the panel, “we are actually gonna, request withdrawal shortly on that,” referring to Document 5336, and committee members discussed whether a formal motion was needed to ensure an agency follows through.

Why it matters: one of the amendments under review (item 5371) implements changes required by Act 26 (2021). Unidentified Speaker 3 said the amendment would add the Emancipation Proclamation to the list of documents required for instruction before graduation and remove the phrase "American institutions and bridal" to conform regulatory language with the statute. The committee agreed to pause debate on 5371 while the House Education Committee finishes a review of prior laws to confirm all necessary regulatory updates are identified.

Committee action and procedure: Unidentified Speaker 1 moved to adjourn debate on the 5371 amendment until the broader review is complete; the motion was seconded and passed by voice vote. Later, after Unidentified Speaker 3 described a reorganization of another regulation (item 5402) that places new language beginning on "page 28 under section 7" to reflect the current application process, Chairman Bradley and other members said a Senate bill is expected to arrive that could overlap with the proposal. Unidentified Speaker 2 moved to adjourn debate on 5402 to allow time to compare texts; that motion also passed by voice vote.

Approved amendment on testing: The committee approved item 5403, which updates the regulation to acknowledge computer-based test formats and updates test-security language for test administration. Unidentified Speaker 3 summarized the change as a modernization of the regulation to reflect existing testing formats; Unidentified Speaker 1 moved to approve and the committee approved the item by voice vote.

Public comment: During the meeting’s public-comment period, a person introduced as Anne confirmed she is the incoming president of the teachers association and said she plans to introduce bills aimed at improving special education services during the second half of the session. Anne said she would provide contact information to committee members to coordinate on those proposals.

What’s next: The committee will revisit the paused items after the House Education Committee completes its review and after any incoming Senate bill is available for comparison. Document 5336 remains slated for formal withdrawal by the submitting agency, per the committee’s discussion. The committee adjourned with no further formal business recorded.