H.R. 7855

119 HR 7855 IH: Guarantee Access to Arts and Music Education Act of 2026
 U.S. House of Representatives
 2026-03-05
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 I  119th CONGRESS  2d Session  H. R. 7855  IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES   March 5, 2026   Ms. Velázquez  (for herself,  Ms. Clarke of New York ,  Mrs. McIver ,  Ms. Norton ,  Ms. Titus ,  Mr. Davis of Illinois , and  Mr. Evans of Pennsylvania ) 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 expand access to school-wide arts and music programs, and for other purposes.
1.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the   Guarantee Access to Arts and Music Education Act of 2026   or the   GAAME Act of 2026  .
2.
School-wide access to arts education
Section 1114 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 6314 ) is amended—
(1)
in subsection (b)(7)(A)(iii)—
(A)
in subclauses (IV) and (V), by striking  ; and  and inserting a semicolon; and
(B)
by adding at the end the following:
(VI)
sequential, standards-based arts education taught by certified arts educators (as defined by the State) and community arts providers to meet the challenging State academic standards; and
  ; and
(2)
by adding at the end the following:
(f)
Definition of arts
For purposes of subsection (b)(7)(A)(iii)(VI), the term  arts  means dance, media arts, theater, and visual arts.
 .
3.
School-wide access to music education
Section 1114(b)(7)(A)(iii) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 6314(b)(7)(A)(iii) ), as amended by section (2), is further amended by inserting after subclause (VI) the following:
(VII)
sequential, standards-based music education that is aligned to challenging State academic standards and is taught by certified music educators (as defined by the State); and
  .
4.
Targeted assistance schools for arts education
Section 1115 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 6315 ) is amended—
(1)
in subsection (b)(2)(A), by striking  well-rounded education;  inserting the following:
well-rounded education, such as—
(i)
programmatic assistance for students to participate in arts programs that address their academic needs (including support for certified arts educators (as defined by the State), arts educator professional development, supplies, and other expenses associated with instruction in the arts); and
 ; and
(2)
by adding at the end the following:
(i)
Definition of arts
For purposes of subsection (b)(2)(A)(i), the term  arts  means dance, media arts, theater, and visual arts.
 .
5.
Targeted assistance schools for music education
Section 1115(b)(2)(A) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 6315(b)(2)(A) ), as amended by section 4, is further amended by adding at the end the following:
(ii)
programmatic assistance for students to participate in music programs that address their academic needs (including support for certified music educators, music educator professional development, instruments, sheet music, music technology, and other expenses associated with music instruction);
 .