HB 2149 — An Act establishing the Executive Functioning and Study Skills Grant Program for public school entities and the Executive Functioning and Study Skills Fund.

PRINTER'S NO.    2775

                     THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                         HOUSE BILL
                         No. 2149
                                               Session of
                                                 2026

     INTRODUCED BY O'MARA, HILL-EVANS, HANBIDGE, MADDEN, SANCHEZ,
        INGLIS, D. WILLIAMS AND CEPEDA-FREYTIZ, JANUARY 16, 2026

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, JANUARY 20, 2026


                                    AN ACT
 1   Establishing the Executive Functioning and Study Skills Grant
 2      Program for public school entities and the Executive
 3      Functioning and Study Skills Fund.
 4      This act may be referred to as the STUDY Act.
 5      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
 6   hereby enacts as follows:
 7   Section 1.   Short title.
 8      This act shall be known and may be cited as the Strategies
 9   and Techniques for Unlocking Development in Youth Act.
10   Section 2.   Definitions.
11      The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
12   have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
13   context clearly indicates otherwise:
14      "Department."    The Department of Education of the
15   Commonwealth.
16      "Executive functioning."    A set of cognitive processes that:
17          (1)   Help individuals plan, organize and manage tasks,
18      regulate emotions and control behavior.
 1             (2)   Are essential for success in school, work and daily
 2      life.
 3             (3)   Involve various mental abilities, such as working
 4      memory, cognitive flexibility and inhibitory control.
 5      "Fund."      The Executive Functioning and Study Skills Fund
 6   established under section 8.
 7      "Metacognition."      An awareness of one's own cognitive
 8   processes, often involving a conscious attempt to control them.
 9      "Program."      The Executive Functioning and Study Skills Grant
10   Program established under this act.
11      "Public school entity."      A public school district,
12   intermediate unit, area career and technical school or charter
13   school, including a regional or cyber charter school.
14      "Self-regulation."      The control of one's behavior through the
15   use of:
16             (1)   self-monitoring, such as keeping a record of
17      behavior;
18             (2)   self-evaluation, such as assessing the information
19      obtained during self-monitoring; or
20             (3)   self-reinforcement such as rewarding oneself for
21      appropriate behavior or attaining a goal.
22      "Study skills."      Strategies and techniques that improve
23   learning and information retention and:
24             (1)   Include key areas such as time management, active
25      learning, note-taking and test preparation.
26             (2)   The development of which may lead to better academic
27      performance, reduced stress and increased motivation.
28   Section 3.      Establishment of program.
29      The Executive Functioning and Study Skills Grant Program is
30   established within the department to equip students in grades 6

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 1   through 12 with the skills relating to executive functioning,
 2   studying, metacognition and self-regulation necessary to succeed
 3   academically and professionally in the 21st century economy.
 4   Section 4.   Purpose of program.
 5      The department shall provide grants on an annual basis to
 6   public school entities for programming provided to students,
 7   either during or after normal school hours, that address
 8   metacognition, self-regulation, executive functioning and study
 9   skills such as:
10          (1)   Goal setting.
11          (2)   Planning and time management.
12          (3)   Collaborative learning.
13          (4)   Self-regulation and organization.
14          (5)   Anxiety and stress management.
15          (6)   Memory techniques.
16          (7)   Independent study.
17          (8)   Test preparation.
18          (9)   Note-taking skills.
19   Section 5.   Duties of department.
20      The department shall perform all functions related to the
21   program, including:
22          (1)   The creation of a grant application form.
23          (2)   Review and approval of grant applications.
24          (3)   The administration and disbursement of grant money
25      under the program.
26          (4)   Establishing and conducting informational training
27      sessions for public school entities.
28          (5)   Outlining of the grant priorities and process of
29      completion for grant applications.
30          (6)   Randomly auditing and monitoring grant recipients to

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 1      ensure the appropriate use of grant money.
 2   Section 6.     Grant applications.
 3      (a)   Availability.--The department shall make the grant
 4   application form under section 5(1) available to public school
 5   entities no later than October 1, 2026, and each October 1
 6   thereafter. A grant application, at a minimum, shall include:
 7            (1)   Contact information for the public school entity.
 8            (2)   The public school entity's anticipated use of grant
 9      money.
10            (3)   Attestation by the public school entity that the
11      grant money will be used for the stated purpose on the grant
12      application.
13            (4)   Program data, including the estimated number of
14      students served by the program broken down by grade level.
15      (b)   Application deadline.--A grant application must be
16   submitted no later than December 15, 2026, and each December 15
17   thereafter.
18   Section 7.     Grant awards.
19      (a)   Award deadline.--Grant awards shall be initially awarded
20   by the department no later than February 1, 2027, and each
21   February 1 thereafter.
22      (b)   Use of grant money.--
23            (1)   Grant money allocated through the program shall be
24      used to supplement and not supplant existing public school
25      entity spending.
26            (2)   Nothing in this act shall preclude a public school
27      entity from:
28                  (i)    Making an application in a subsequent year for
29            the same purpose and amount awarded in a prior year.
30                  (ii)   Utilizing any other existing funding sources

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 1             for programs created for the same purposes stated in this
 2             act.
 3             (3)    Nothing in this act shall preclude an intermediate
 4      unit from applying for a grant award under this act for a
 5      consortium of public school districts the intermediate unit
 6      serves.
 7      (c)    Distribution formula.--No later than 60 days after the
 8   effective date of this subsection, the department shall develop
 9   a formula to determine the distribution of grant awards under
10   the program. After the development of a distribution formula,
11   the department shall transmit a notice with the distribution
12   formula to the Legislative Reference Bureau for publication in
13   the next available issue of the Pennsylvania Bulletin for public
14   comment. The public comment period shall be at least 30 days.
15   Section 8.       Executive Functioning and Study Skills Fund.
16      The Executive Functioning and Study Skills Fund is
17   established in the State Treasury. The fund shall operate in
18   accordance with the following:
19             (1)    All money deposited and interest accrued from
20      deposits in the fund shall be appropriated to the department
21      on a continuing basis to award grants in accordance with this
22      act.
23             (2)    An administrative action may not prevent the deposit
24      of money into the fund in the fiscal year in which the money
25      is received.
26             (3)    The fund shall only be used for the grant awards and
27      money in the fund may not be transferred or diverted to or
28      for any other purpose by administrative action.
29             (4)    Money in the fund shall include appropriations and
30      transfers from the General Fund, special funds, Federal funds

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 1      and other sources of revenue.
 2   Section 9.    Procurement.
 3      A public school entity shall be required to comply with all
 4   applicable State and local procurement requirements, policies
 5   and procedures when expending grant money.
 6   Section 10.    Annual report.
 7      A public school entity that receives a grant award under this
 8   act shall submit a report to the department no later than
 9   October 1 of each year that includes pre-assessment and post-
10   assessment data such as:
11          (1)    The number of students that participated in a public
12      school entity's program funded by the program, broken down by
13      grade level.
14          (2)    Rates of behavior change over the course of the
15      program period.
16   Section 11.    Effective date.
17      This act shall take effect immediately.




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