Reimagining Education and Skills through Unified Longitudinal Talent Systems (RESULTS) Act of 2026
- Sponsor
- Sen. Blunt Rochester, Lisa [D-DE]
- Committees
- Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee (primary)
- Last action
- Jul 29, 2026
Bottom line
The bill seeks to enhance data-driven decision-making in education and workforce development by improving state-level data systems and promoting data sharing, while prioritizing individual privacy and data security.
What it actually does
This bill modernizes and expands a federal grant program for statewide longitudinal data systems (SLDS), aiming to connect individual-level data across early childhood, K-12, postsecondary, adult education, workforce development, and employment outcomes. It authorizes competitive grants for states to create, modernize, and improve these systems, emphasizing data privacy and security. Additionally, it facilitates state access to the National Directory of New Hires for improved workforce program performance reporting.
Proponents argue
Supporters argue that better integrated and accessible data systems will enable states to make more informed policy decisions, improve educational and employment outcomes, reduce administrative burden, and increase transparency for students, parents, and employers regarding program quality and career pathways. They contend that modernizing these systems is crucial for addressing 21st-century workforce challenges.
Opponents contend
Potential opponents might raise concerns about the extensive scope of data collection and integration, fearing potential privacy breaches despite stated protections. They may also argue that the administrative burden on states to comply with new data system requirements could be significant, or that the federal government is overreaching by dictating state data priorities without guaranteed, sufficient funding.
The bill is moderately complex, requiring careful reading to understand the technical definitions and cross-references, but is manageable within a reasonable timeframe for an informed reader.
Section 3, amending Section 208 of the Educational Technical Assistance Act of 2002
Redefinition and Modernization of Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems (SLDS) Grant Program
This provision redefines 'statewide longitudinal data system' to explicitly include data from early childhood education, elementary and secondary schools, postsecondary education, adult education, workforce development, and employment outcomes. It authorizes the Secretary of Education, in consultation with the Secretary of Labor, to award competitive grants to eligible entities (Governors or designated State agencies) to create, modernize, and improve these comprehensive data systems.
Supporters argue
Supporters argue this modernization is crucial for states to build comprehensive data infrastructure needed to understand and improve education-to-workforce pipelines, ensuring data systems are relevant for 21st-century challenges.
Critics contend
Critics might argue that such broad data integration could lead to federal overreach or create single points of failure for data security, or that the federal government is dictating state data priorities.
Tradeoffs
This provision balances the need for comprehensive data for policy insights against concerns about data privacy, security, and potential federal influence over state data governance.
Section 3, new subsection (c)(1) of Section 208
Mandatory Data Inclusion and Privacy Protections for SLDS
This section mandates that SLDS supported by these grants must, at a minimum, include and integrate individual-level and administrative data from public early childhood, K-12, higher education, career and technical education, WIOA workforce programs, and unemployment insurance wage records. It also requires data disaggregation by race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, age, disability, and gender, and strict adherence to federal and state privacy laws like the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
Section 3, new subsection (c)(1)(B) of Section 208
Optional Inclusion of Additional Data Systems
This provision allows, but does not require, statewide longitudinal data systems to include data from other systems such as juvenile justice, child welfare, private education institutions, health records, correctional systems, and work-based training records. This provides states with flexibility to build even more comprehensive systems tailored to their specific needs and policy priorities.
Section 3, new subsection (c)(2)(A) and (B) of Section 208
Funding for Data Governance and Federal Reporting
Grant funds can be used for establishing robust statewide data governance structures, including funding Chief Data Officers, Chief Evaluation Officers, or Chief Privacy Officers. Funds can also be used to leverage the SLDS as the primary infrastructure for meeting existing federal education and workforce accountability and performance reporting requirements under various acts (e.g., Higher Education Act, Elementary and Secondary Education Act, Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act), aiming to reduce administrative burden.
Section 3, new subsection (c)(2)(C)-(D) of Section 208
Enhancing Public Access, Research, and Data Expansion
Funds can be used to create public data dashboards, portals, and reports with de-identified information, as well as secure portals for schools and providers to access student outcomes. It also supports individual student dashboards for parents and counselors, and research partnerships. Additionally, funds can expand datasets (e.g., unemployment insurance job titles, private postsecondary data, noncredit programs) and promote the adoption of 'SOLID' data formats for knowledge, skills, and credentials.
Section 3, new subsections (c)(2)(E) and (H) of Section 208
Support for Interstate Data Sharing and AI Exploration
This provision allows grant funds to be used for participating in multi-State data collaboratives to understand interstate earnings and employment outcomes and trends. It also permits the exploration of evidence-based, innovative, and secure methods of leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) in conjunction with SLDS, provided such activities comply with all applicable privacy laws and the National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST) Artificial Intelligence Risk Management Framework.
Section 4, amending Section 116(i) of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3141(i))
Enhanced Access to National Directory of New Hires for Performance Reporting
This section amends the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) to allow states to use information from the National Directory of New Hires (NDNH) for performance reporting requirements. It also mandates that the Governor designate a State agency to facilitate data matches using quarterly wage record information (including interstate data) for employment and earnings outcomes, ensure data validation, and protect against privacy-violating disaggregation.
This section allows states to use information from the National Directory of New Hires (NDNH) for performance reporting requirements under WIOA, and mandates the designation of a state agency to facilitate data matches for employment and earnings outcomes, including interstate wage record information, while ensuring data validation and privacy.
Section 4, amending Section 116(i) of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3141(i))
Why it matters:This is standard legislative practice for making technical amendments to related statutes. It's not necessarily evasive, but it requires familiarity with existing law to fully grasp its implications.
Case for: Proponents argue that this access is essential for states to accurately track the long-term employment and earnings outcomes of individuals who participate in workforce development programs, especially those who move across state lines, thereby improving accountability and program evaluation.
Case against: Critics might raise privacy concerns about expanding access to a national database of new hires, even with stated protections, fearing potential for data misuse or re-identification, or that it could increase the administrative burden on states to manage this new data stream.
Estimated impact: Significantly improves the ability of states to conduct comprehensive performance reporting for WIOA programs, potentially affecting millions of program participants annually.