Us Congress 2023-2024 Regular Session

Us Congress House Bill HB201

Introduced
1/9/23  

Caption

Voluntary School Prayer Protection Act of 2023 This bill prohibits the Department of Education (ED) from providing funding for public schools that restrict voluntary school prayer. Specifically, the bill prohibits ED from providing funds to state or local educational agencies with policies that deny, or effectively prevent, individuals from voluntarily participating in public school prayer that is constitutionally protected.

Impact

The implications of HB 201 are significant as it directly involves the funding mechanism of the Department of Education. By stipulating that schools will lose federal funds if they are found to deny or prevent voluntary prayer, the bill aligns federal educational policies with the rights recognized in the Constitution. This could compel educational institutions to reassess existing policies and practices regarding student-led prayer sessions and potentially review how they manage religious expression within the school environment.

Summary

House Bill 201, officially known as the Voluntary School Prayer Protection Act of 2023, seeks to address the issue of voluntary school prayer in public educational institutions. The primary objective of this legislation is to prevent any state or local educational agencies from imposing policies that would restrict or deny participation in constitutionally protected prayer within schools. If enacted, the bill would make it clear that compliance with federal funding requirements necessitates that schools respect students' rights to engage in voluntary prayer, provided it is constitutionally permitted.

Contention

There are considerable points of contention surrounding HB 201. Proponents argue that the legislation is necessary to protect religious freedoms in schools and ensure that students have the right to express their beliefs freely without institutional barriers. Critics, however, may raise concerns about the separation of church and state, suggesting that compulsory compliance with this bill could inadvertently blur the lines between religious practice and educational policy. There is fear that this may lead to conflicts within school policies on inclusivity and potentially alienate non-religious students or those from different faith backgrounds.

Companion Bills

No companion bills found.

Previously Filed As

US HB370

Voluntary School Prayer Protection Act of 2025This bill prohibits the Department of Education (ED) from providing funding for public schools that restrict voluntary school prayer.Specifically, the bill prohibits ED from providing funds to state or local educational agencies with policies that deny, or effectively prevent, individuals from voluntarily participating in public school prayer that is constitutionally protected.

US HB5187

Protect Prayer in Schools Act of 2023

US HB463

Children Have Opportunities in Classrooms Everywhere Act This bill allows tax-exempt distributions from qualified tuition programs (known as 529 plans) to be used for additional educational expenses in connection with elementary or secondary school. The bill also allows certain federal funds for elementary and secondary education to follow a student from a low-income household to the public school that the student attends or for tax-exempt educational expenses. Under current law, tax-exempt distributions in connection with elementary or secondary school are limited to tuition for a public, private, or religious school. The bill allows these distributions to be used additionally for curriculum and curricular materials, books or other instructional materials, online educational materials, tutoring or educational classes outside the home, testing fees, fees for dual enrollment in an institution of higher education, and educational therapies for students with disabilities. Distributions may also be used for tuition and the purposes above in connection with a home school (whether treated as a home school or a private school under state law). In addition, the bill directs state educational agencies to allocate grant funds to ensure the funding follows students to their public school or for other tax-exempt educational expenses outlined by the bill. Each state that carries out these allocations must establish a plan that allows the parent of an eligible child to apply for grant funds.

US HB863

To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit a publishing house from knowingly furnishing sexually explicit material to a school or an educational agency, to prohibit Federal funds from being provided to a school that obtains or an educational agency that distributes sexually explicit material, and for other purposes.

US HB149

Protecting Our Democracy by Preventing Foreign Citizens from Voting Act This bill prohibits federal funds from being made available to state or local governments that allow noncitizens to vote in federal, state, or local elections.

US HB4407

Voluntarily Offered Tools for Election Reforms by States Act

US HB5

Parents Bill of Rights Act This bill establishes various rights of parents and guardians regarding the elementary or secondary school education of their children. Local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools must comply with the requirements of the bill in order to receive federal education funds. Specifically, the bill requires schools to notify parents and guardians of their rights regarding the education of their children. These rights include the right to review the curriculum of their child's school; know if the state alters its challenging academic standards; meet with each teacher of their child at least twice each school year; review the budget, including all revenues and expenditures, of their child's school; review a list of the books and other reading materials in the library of their child's school; address the school board of the LEA; receive information about violent activity in their child's school; and receive information about any plans to eliminate gifted and talented programs in the child's school. Additionally, the bill directs each LEA to post on a publicly accessible website (or otherwise widely disseminate to the public) the curriculum for each elementary and secondary school grade level. The LEA must also include in its annual report card the overall budget of the LEA and the budget for each elementary and secondary school. The bill also provides for additional family educational and privacy rights, including by prohibiting schools from selling student information for commercial or financial gain.

US HB174

No Federal Funding for Teacher's Unions Act This bill prohibits labor organizations of education professionals from receiving federal funds.

US HB117

This bill prohibits any entity that receives specified COVID-19 relief funds from mandating COVID-19 vaccines for its employees. An entity that violates this prohibition must return the funding it received.

US HB245

Breath of Fresh Air Act This bill establishes a grant program for local educational agencies to purchase, and train school personnel to use, nebulizers.

Similar Bills

No similar bills found.