H.R. 6816 — Introduced in House

I 118th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 6816 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES December 14, 2023 Mr. Hern (for himself, Ms. Stefanik, Mr. Walberg, Ms. Van Duyne, Mr. Rouzer, Mr. Alford, Mr. Babin, Mr. Good of Virginia, Mr. Cline, Mr. Ellzey, Mr. Brecheen, Mr. Weber of Texas, Mr. LaTurner, Mr. Jackson of Texas, Mr. Ogles, Mr. Owens, Mr. Huizenga, Mr. Scott Franklin of Florida, Mr. Clyde, Mr. Aderholt, Mr. Wilson of South Carolina, Mr. Allen, Mr. Moran, Mr. Edwards, Mr. LaMalfa, Mr. Baird, Mr. Austin Scott of Georgia, Mrs. Lesko, and Mr. Dunn of Florida) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce A BILL To prohibit the availability of Federal education funds for elementary and secondary schools that receive direct or indirect support from the Government of the People’s Republic of China. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Promoting Responsible Oversight To Eliminate Communist Teachings for Our Kids Act or the PROTECT Our Kids Act. 2. Prohibition on availability of funds (a) Prohibition Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no funds may be made available under an applicable program to any elementary school or secondary school that— (1) has a partnership in effect with a cultural or language institute directly or indirectly funded by the Government of the People's Republic of China, including a Confucius Institute; (2) operates a learning center directly or indirectly supported by the Government of the People's Republic of China (commonly referred to as a Confucius Classroom); or (3) otherwise receives support from an individual or entity acting directly or indirectly on behalf of the Government of the People’s Republic of China, including support in the form of teaching materials, personnel, funds, or other resources. (b) Effective date The prohibition under subsection (a) shall take effect on the date that is one year after the date of enactment of this Act. (c) Notice to affected schools Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Education shall provide notice to elementary and secondary schools of the requirements of this Act together with guidance for achieving compliance with such requirements. (d) Definitions In this Act: (1) Applicable program The term applicable program has the meaning given that term in section 400(c)(1) of the General Education Provisions Act (20 U.S.C. 1221(c)(1)). (2) ESEA Terms The terms elementary school and secondary school have the meanings given those terms in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).