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
Establishing the Executive Functioning and Study Skills Grant
Program for public school entities and the Executive
Functioning and Study Skills Fund.
This act may be referred to as the STUDY Act.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Short title.
This act shall be known and may be cited as the Strategies
and Techniques for Unlocking Development in Youth Act.
Section 2. Definitions.
The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise:
"Department." The Department of Education of the
Commonwealth.
"Executive functioning." A set of cognitive processes that:
(1) Help individuals plan, organize and manage tasks,
regulate emotions and control behavior.
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(2) Are essential for success in school, work and daily
life.
(3) Involve various mental abilities, such as working
memory, cognitive flexibility and inhibitory control.
"Fund." The Executive Functioning and Study Skills Fund
established under section 8.
"Metacognition." An awareness of one's own cognitive
processes, often involving a conscious attempt to control them.
"Program." The Executive Functioning and Study Skills Grant
Program established under this act.
"Public school entity." A public school district,
intermediate unit, area career and technical school or charter
school, including a regional or cyber charter school.
"Self-regulation." The control of one's behavior through the
use of:
(1) self-monitoring, such as keeping a record of
behavior;
(2) self-evaluation, such as assessing the information
obtained during self-monitoring; or
(3) self-reinforcement such as rewarding oneself for
appropriate behavior or attaining a goal.
"Study skills." Strategies and techniques that improve
learning and information retention and:
(1) Include key areas such as time management, active
learning, note-taking and test preparation.
(2) The development of which may lead to better academic
performance, reduced stress and increased motivation.
Section 3. Establishment of program.
The Executive Functioning and Study Skills Grant Program is
established within the department to equip students in grades 6
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through 12 with the skills relating to executive functioning,
studying, metacognition and self-regulation necessary to succeed
academically and professionally in the 21st century economy.
Section 4. Purpose of program.
The department shall provide grants on an annual basis to
public school entities for programming provided to students,
either during or after normal school hours, that address
metacognition, self-regulation, executive functioning and study
skills such as:
(1) Goal setting.
(2) Planning and time management.
(3) Collaborative learning.
(4) Self-regulation and organization.
(5) Anxiety and stress management.
(6) Memory techniques.
(7) Independent study.
(8) Test preparation.
(9) Note-taking skills.
Section 5. Duties of department.
The department shall perform all functions related to the
program, including:
(1) The creation of a grant application form.
(2) Review and approval of grant applications.
(3) The administration and disbursement of grant money
under the program.
(4) Establishing and conducting informational training
sessions for public school entities.
(5) Outlining of the grant priorities and process of
completion for grant applications.
(6) Randomly auditing and monitoring grant recipients to
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ensure the appropriate use of grant money.
Section 6. Grant applications.
(a) Availability.--The department shall make the grant
application form under section 5(1) available to public school
entities no later than October 1, 2026, and each October 1
thereafter. A grant application, at a minimum, shall include:
(1) Contact information for the public school entity.
(2) The public school entity's anticipated use of grant
money.
(3) Attestation by the public school entity that the
grant money will be used for the stated purpose on the grant
application.
(4) Program data, including the estimated number of
students served by the program broken down by grade level.
(b) Application deadline.--A grant application must be
submitted no later than December 15, 2026, and each December 15
thereafter.
Section 7. Grant awards.
(a) Award deadline.--Grant awards shall be initially awarded
by the department no later than February 1, 2027, and each
February 1 thereafter.
(b) Use of grant money.--
(1) Grant money allocated through the program shall be
used to supplement and not supplant existing public school
entity spending.
(2) Nothing in this act shall preclude a public school
entity from:
(i) Making an application in a subsequent year for
the same purpose and amount awarded in a prior year.
(ii) Utilizing any other existing funding sources
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for programs created for the same purposes stated in this
act.
(3) Nothing in this act shall preclude an intermediate
unit from applying for a grant award under this act for a
consortium of public school districts the intermediate unit
serves.
(c) Distribution formula.--No later than 60 days after the
effective date of this subsection, the department shall develop
a formula to determine the distribution of grant awards under
the program. After the development of a distribution formula,
the department shall transmit a notice with the distribution
formula to the Legislative Reference Bureau for publication in
the next available issue of the Pennsylvania Bulletin for public
comment. The public comment period shall be at least 30 days.
Section 8. Executive Functioning and Study Skills Fund.
The Executive Functioning and Study Skills Fund is
established in the State Treasury. The fund shall operate in
accordance with the following:
(1) All money deposited and interest accrued from
deposits in the fund shall be appropriated to the department
on a continuing basis to award grants in accordance with this
act.
(2) An administrative action may not prevent the deposit
of money into the fund in the fiscal year in which the money
is received.
(3) The fund shall only be used for the grant awards and
money in the fund may not be transferred or diverted to or
for any other purpose by administrative action.
(4) Money in the fund shall include appropriations and
transfers from the General Fund, special funds, Federal funds
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and other sources of revenue.
Section 9. Procurement.
A public school entity shall be required to comply with all
applicable State and local procurement requirements, policies
and procedures when expending grant money.
Section 10. Annual report.
A public school entity that receives a grant award under this
act shall submit a report to the department no later than
October 1 of each year that includes pre-assessment and post-
assessment data such as:
(1) The number of students that participated in a public
school entity's program funded by the program, broken down by
grade level.
(2) Rates of behavior change over the course of the
program period.
Section 11. Effective date.
This act shall take effect immediately.
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