The House Education and Workforce Committee voted to adopt an H‑1 substitute on House Bill 4159, a measure that updates the Revised School Code to strengthen academic standards and require kindergarten through sixth-grade literacy instruction to follow the "science of reading" model. Vice Chair Linting moved the H‑1 substitute and the clerk called the roll. The clerk reported "11 yeas, 0 nays, 0 pass. The motion prevails." The substitute adoption took place before the panel heard sponsors' testimony on the wider bill package.

In subsequent testimony about the package, Vice Chair Linting described HB 4159 as aligning the state’s statutory standards with evidence-based literacy instruction focused on decoding, phonics and vocabulary. "This model promotes a literacy curriculum that puts a focus on decoding, phonics, vocabulary development, and other evidence based instructional methods that we know work," Linting said when introducing the literacy measure.

Committee members pressed sponsors on how the changes differ from prior enactments, including last term’s dyslexia legislation and Common Core-aligned standards. Representative Weiss and others asked whether the bill would add new requirements beyond existing standards and whether codifying the language was necessary given prior statutory changes. Sponsors said the bill aims to close gaps between state standards and curriculum implementation so districts consistently deliver research-backed reading instruction.

Ending: The record shows the H‑1 substitute on HB 4159 passed 11–0; further committee work on implementation and coordination with the Department of Education was discussed but no final committee report or floor action on the underlying bill is recorded in the transcript.