Why it Matters

Five bills spanning disability employment, civics education, retirement plan administration, and healthcare billing transparency are headed for a vote in the House Education and Workforce Committee on Thursday. The markup reflects a broad Republican legislative push on workforce and education policy, but two of the bills — one that would make it easier for employers to pay workers with disabilities below the federal minimum wage, and one that would restrict how federal civics education funds can be spent — are likely to draw sharp Democratic opposition and public scrutiny.

The House Education and Workforce Committee, chaired by Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI), will convene at 10:15 a.m. in 2175 Rayburn House Office Building.

The Disability Employment Fight

The most contentious bill on the docket is H.R. 8736, the Restoration of Employment Choice for Adults with Disabilities Act, introduced by committee member Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-WI) on May 15 — just six days before the markup. The bill amends the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to expand access to subminimum wage employment, which allows certain employers to pay workers with disabilities below the federal minimum wage under Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

The bill would lower the eligible age threshold to 18 and remove several pre-employment protective requirements, allowing workers to accept subminimum wage jobs if they choose. Employers would be required to document outreach to state vocational rehabilitation agencies, but if those agencies fail to respond, employers could proceed without providing those services.

The legislation runs counter to a significant state-level trend. According to New America's EdCentral tracker, at least 10 states have fully eliminated subminimum wages and five others are actively phasing them out. The bill's introduction just days before the markup signals the committee moved quickly to advance it.

Rep. Burgess Owens (R-UT), also a committee member, is listed as a cosponsor.

Civics Funding and the CHARLIE Act

Rep. Owens is also the sponsor of H.R. 8705, the Civics and History Advancement to Restore Learning, Integrity, and Education Act (CHARLIE), introduced May 7. The bill amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to restrict how American History and Civics program grants can be used, prohibiting funds from going to schools that the bill characterizes as promoting "discriminatory equity ideology" or "gender ideology."

The bill also bars the Department of Education from prioritizing grant awards based on the race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or immigration status of students or staff. Owens offered a pointed description of the bill's intent when it received press coverage on May 13: "That is real civics education, not the propaganda and subtle indoctrination that the left used to prioritize ideology over education by funneling taxpayer dollars to promote divisive and debunked racial falsehoods, radical gender ideology, and political activism. We're putting an end to that once and for all with the CHARLIE Act."

The bill has no cosponsors.

Retirement Plan Paperwork Gets a Bipartisan Fix

H.R. 7362, the Form 5500 Filing Simplification Act, is the least controversial item on the agenda and has the broadest support. Introduced in February by Rep. Grothman with Democratic cosponsor Rep. Donald Norcross (D-NJ), the bill would streamline how employee benefit plan administrators file their annual Form 5500 reports with the federal government.

The legislation would shift the filing deadline to 15 days after the end of the ninth calendar month following a plan year, eliminate the need for Form 5558, and explicitly authorize electronic signatures. Eight of the bill's nine cosponsors are committee members.

The American Retirement Association's CEO, as quoted by Plan Sponsor Council of America (PSCA), argued that "the current two-step Form 5500 filing system creates needless complexity and exposes plan sponsors — especially small and mid-sized employers — to severe penalties for simple clerical errors." Grothman echoed that the current system "wastes time and money, creates unnecessary headaches for small and mid-sized businesses, and does nothing to help workers," according to ASPPA-net.

PBM Kickbacks in the Crosshairs

H.R. 7895, the Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) Kickback Prohibition Act, was introduced in March by Rep. Rick Allen (R-GA) and targets a specific practice in the PBM industry: paying brokers, consultants, or advisors to steer employer health plans toward a particular PBM's services. The bill amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act to ban those payments outright, with the prohibition applying to plan years beginning after enactment.

The bill arrives in the wake of the broader Pharmacy Benefit Manager Reform Act, which Congress passed in February 2026. That law, along with a Department of Labor proposal on PBM fee transparency, has created legislative momentum for more targeted follow-on measures. The PSCA reported in April that Allen's bill was among the active pieces of pending PBM reform legislation.

Bipartisan Billing Transparency

Rounding out the markup is H.R. 8684, the Transparency in Billing Act of 2026, introduced May 7 by committee Chair Virginia Foxx (R-NC) and cosigned by Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA). The bill requires hospitals to use separate unique health identifiers when submitting insurance claims for services provided at off-campus outpatient departments, and bars insurers and group health plans from paying claims that lack the proper location identifier.

Hospitals that violate the requirements face civil penalties of up to $300 per day for smaller facilities and up to $5,500 per day for larger ones. The rules would take effect January 1, 2027.

The bill's joint authorship by the committee's chair and ranking member gives it the clearest path to passage of any measure on Thursday's agenda, and fits within a broader congressional push on hospital billing transparency that includes proposals in both chambers.

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