On October 5, 2026, U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) introduced the Arts Education for All Act in the Senate, with Senator Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) as a cosponsor. Representative Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.) leads the companion bill in the House. The legislation aims to expand access to arts education for early learners, K-12 students, and youth and adults involved in the justice system. It would also strengthen research on how the arts support student success.
NAEA Supports the Arts Education for All Act
On October 5, 2026, U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) introduced the Arts Education for All Act in the Senate, with Senator Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) as a cosponsor. Representative Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.) leads the companion bill in the House. The legislation aims to expand access to arts education for early learners, K-12 students, and youth and adults involved in the justice system. It would also strengthen research on how the arts support student success.
What the bill would do for art educators and students:
- Expand state ESEA plans to describe how states will support arts education staff, instruction, and partnerships
- Require state ESSA report cards to include information on arts courses and make arts education part of K-12 school improvement
- Increase support for professional development for arts teachers and for integrating the arts into instruction
- Strengthen arts and creative youth development in after-school and summer programs through 21st Century Community Learning Centers
- Allow Child Care and Development Block Grant funds to be used more clearly for arts programming
- Let states coordinate arts education with juvenile justice services to support reentry and reduce recidivism
- Increase arts education research at the Institute of Education Sciences
- Direct the National Assessment Governing Board to reinstate arts assessments
The bill has been endorsed by 132 national, state, and local organizations and individuals.
NAEA’s Support
The National Art Education Association is proud to support this legislation. NAEA Executive Director Laura Lott shared the following statement, which was included with the bill’s announcement:
“Every student deserves the chance to imagine, create, and see the world in new ways, yet access to high-quality art education still depends too much on a child’s zip code. The Arts Education for All Act recognizes that the arts are essential to a well-rounded education, from early childhood through high school and beyond. By building the arts into state and local plans, investing in the educators who teach them, and restoring national data on what students know and can do in the arts, this bill helps close the gaps we know exist. NAEA thanks Senator Luján for his leadership and urges Congress to act.”
— Laura L. Lott, Executive Director, National Art Education Association