Us Congress 2025-2026 Regular Session

Us Congress House Bill HB1049

Introduced
2/6/25  
Refer
2/6/25  

Caption

Transparency in Reporting of Adversarial Contributions to Education ActThis bill requires each local educational agency (LEA), as a condition of receiving federal elementary and secondary education funds, to ensure that each elementary and secondary school served by the LEA notifies parents of their rights to request and receive information regarding foreign influence (e.g., influence by China) in schools.These rights include the right toreview (and make copies of at no cost) any curricular or professional development material used at the school that was obtained using funds received from a foreign government or a foreign entity of concern;know, by written response, how many school personnel are compensated using funds received from a foreign government or a foreign entity of concern; andknow, by written response, information about funding from or agreements (e.g., contracts) with a foreign country or a foreign entity of concern.Parents must submit a written request for this information.Each school must post on a publicly accessible website (or otherwise widely disseminate to the public) a summary notice of parental rights under the bill. The bill requires the Department of Education to notify state educational agencies (SEAs) about the bill's requirements. Each SEA must, as a condition of receiving federal elementary and secondary education funds, notify LEAs about the bill's requirements.

Impact

If enacted, HB 1049 will significantly amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 by introducing new requirements for transparency about foreign financial influences. Schools will be obliged to maintain clear communication with parents about any foreign funding received, including detailed reporting of donations, agreements, and financial transactions. Consequently, this legislation could reshape the regulatory landscape surrounding educational funding, requiring schools to be more vigilant about their funding sources and the implications for educational content.

Summary

House Bill 1049, known as the Transparency in Reporting of Adversarial Contributions to Education Act or the TRACE Act, seeks to ensure that parents are informed about foreign influences in their children's public education. The legislation mandates that local educational agencies provide parents with access to curricular and professional development materials that are funded by foreign governments or entities. This initiative aims to enhance transparency and accountability regarding how educational content may be influenced by foreign contributors.

Sentiment

The sentiment surrounding HB 1049 appears to be mixed. Proponents of the bill argue that it is a necessary step toward safeguarding the integrity of public education by ensuring that parents are well-informed about any externally influenced material. They contend that such transparency is critical in today’s globalized world. Conversely, the opposition may voice concerns about the potential chilling effects on foreign partnerships that could enrich educational opportunities and the possibility of overreaching scrutiny that could hamper beneficial financial contributions from abroad.

Contention

Noteworthy points of contention regarding the bill center around the balance between transparency and the potential impact on international collaboration in education. Critics may fear that the requirements imposed by the TRACE Act could deter schools from engaging with beneficial foreign partnerships or receiving valuable funding due to the rigorous reporting obligations it mandates. Additionally, there may be debates around how 'foreign influence' is defined and the parameters set forth for various entities, which could lead to further legislative scrutiny and discussion.

Congress_id

119-HR-1049

Policy_area

Education

Introduced_date

2025-02-06

Companion Bills

No companion bills found.

Previously Filed As

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 HB287

Curriculum Review of Teachings Transparency Act or the CRT Transparency Act This bill requires a local educational agency, in order to receive certain federal education grants, to post on a publicly accessible website the curriculum for each grade level of its elementary and secondary schools.

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 HB216

My Child, My Choice Act of 2023 This bill prohibits an elementary school from receiving federal education funds unless a teacher requests written parental consent prior to teaching a lesson specifically related to gender identity, sexual orientation, or transgender studies. In particular, the bill requires a teacher to request written consent from the parent of each student enrolled in the class prior to teaching the lesson. If a parent does not submit written consent to the lesson, then the school must provide the student with an alternative period of learning or study hall. Further, the teacher may not teach the lesson if the principal does not receive written consent from the parents of at least 50% of the students enrolled in the class.

US HB65

Ending Common Core and Expanding School Choice Act This bill revises requirements related to federal education funding for disadvantaged children. Specifically, the bill (1) eliminates the standards, assessments, and academic accountability requirements for state and local educational agencies that receive federal funds for the education of disadvantaged children; (2) requires such funds to be allocated based on the number of children residing in each state who are living in poverty; and (3) allows educational agencies to distribute per-pupil amounts from such funds to parents for qualified elementary and secondary education expenses. The bill prohibits federal officers or employees from mandating academic standards, assessments, curricula, or accountability systems.

US HB174

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

US HB305

One School, One Nurse Act of 2023 This bill directs the Department of Education (ED) to award competitive grants to eligible entities for recruiting, hiring, and retaining school nurses. An eligible entity is a local educational agency (LEA) or a partnership between a state educational agency and a consortium of LEAs in the state. Further, ED must specify in regulation the recommended nurse-to-student ratios for elementary and secondary schools.

US SB3443

Protecting Education from Malign Foreign Influence Act of 2023

US SB5593

A bill to amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to expand the Magnet Schools Assistance Program.

US HR906

Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 4468) to prohibit the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency from finalizing, implementing, or enforcing a proposed rule with respect to emissions from vehicles, and for other purposes; providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 5933) to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require additional information in disclosures of foreign gifts and contracts from foreign sources, restrict contracts with certain foreign entities and foreign countries of concern, require certain staff and faculty to report foreign gifts and contracts, and require disclosure of certain foreign investments within endowments; and providing for consideration of the joint resolution (H. J. Res. 88) providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Department of Education relating to "Improving Income Driven Repayment for the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program and the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program".

Similar Bills

No similar bills found.