Critical Mineral Mining Education Act of 2026

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H.R. 7021 Introduced in House (IH)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 7021 To establish a new educational exchange program to strengthen domestic mining education, and for other purposes. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES January 12, 2026 Mr. Olszewski (for himself, Mrs. Kim, Mr. Bera, and Mr. Huizenga) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To establish a new educational exchange program to strengthen domestic mining education, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Critical Mineral Mining Education Act of 2026''. SEC. 2. FINDINGS. Congress finds the United States mining industry and, more broadly, mining and mineral processing and refining, is widely reported as facing a significant personnel shortage. This shortage is driven by an aging workforce, declining numbers of graduates entering mining careers, and difficulty recruiting and retaining skilled workers. Fifty percent of the current mining workforce is expected to retire within the next 5 years. In 2023, only 14 United States universities and colleges had mining and mining engineer programs. Downstream segments, such as ore processing, refining, and metallurgy, are affected by the same workforce trends. Institutions and personnel from allied countries with mining expertise can share their knowledge and experience with the United States workforce through education exchange programs. SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. The Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961 (Public Law 87-256; 22 U.S.C. 2451 et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 101 the following: ``SEC. 101A. DEFINITIONS.