[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1351 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1351
To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require
the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance and the display of the
American Flag in certain federally funded elementary and secondary
schools, and for other purposes.
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IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 13, 2025
Mr. Strong (for himself, Mr. Moore of Alabama, Mr. Rogers of Alabama,
Mr. Aderholt, Mr. Palmer, Mrs. Miller of Illinois, Mr. Alford, Mr.
LaMalfa, Mr. Harris of Maryland, Mr. Wilson of South Carolina, Mr.
Babin, Mr. Downing, and Mr. Rose) introduced the following bill; which
was referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce
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A BILL
To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require
the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance and the display of the
American Flag in certain federally funded elementary and secondary
schools, 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 ``Promoting American Patriotism In Our
Schools Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) The American flag is a symbol of the unity, liberty,
and freedom of the United States of America.
(2) It is important to foster national pride and a shared
sense of civic responsibility among the youth of the United
States.
(3) The Pledge of Allegiance is a statement of national
commitment and serves as a reminder of the values and
principles upon which the nation was founded.
(4) The inclusion of the American flag and the Pledge of
Allegiance in the daily activities of elementary and secondary
school students serves to promote a sense of national identity
and unity.
(5) Educating students about the history and significance
of the American flag, as well as encouraging a daily expression
of patriotism, plays an important role in their development as
responsible and engaged citizens.
SEC. 3. RECITATION OF THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE AND DISPLAY OF AMERICAN
FLAG IN SCHOOLS.
(a) In General.--Title VIII of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801 et seq.) is amended by inserting
after section 8524 the following:
``SEC. 8524A. RECITATION OF PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE AND DISPLAY OF
AMERICAN FLAG.
``(a) In General.--As a condition of receiving funds under this
Act, a local educational agency shall establish, maintain, and enforce
a policy that requires the following:
``(1) Subject to subsection (b), all students, teachers,
and staff in covered schools shall recite the Pledge of
Allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America at the
beginning of each school day. The Pledge shall be recited in
the exact form and manner set forth in section 4 of title 4,
United States Code.
``(2) The flag of the United States of America shall be
prominently displayed in each classroom and gymnasium of each
covered school. Each such flag shall be displayed in a manner
that ensures it is visible to all occupants of the classroom or
gymnasium during the school day.
``(3) Educational materials on the history, significance,
and proper display of the flag of the United States of America
shall be incorporated into the civics or history curriculum of
each grade level taught at each covered school. The materials
shall be age appropriate and promote understanding of the
values and principles represented by the flag.
``(b) Exception.--Each policy required under subsection (a) shall
include an exception pursuant to which an individual may refrain from
reciting the Pledge of Allegiance for religious or personal reasons. No
individual may be penalized, discriminated against, or subjected to
retaliatory action for exercising the option to refrain from recitation
of the Pledge of Allegiance in accordance with such exception.
``(c) Certification.--On an annual basis not later than October 1
of each year, each local educational agency subject to the requirements
of this section shall certify in writing to the State educational
agency involved that the local educational agency is in compliance with
such requirements. The State educational agency shall report to the
Secretary by November 1 of each year a list of those local educational
agencies that have not filed the certification or against which
complaints have been made to the State educational agency that the
local educational agencies are not in compliance with this section.
``(d) Enforcement.--The Secretary is authorized and directed to
effectuate this section by issuing, and securing compliance with, rules
or orders with respect to a local educational agency that fails to
certify, or is found to have certified in bad faith, that the agency is
in compliance with the requirements of this section.
``(e) Covered School Defined.--In this section, the term `covered
school' means a public elementary or public secondary school that
receives Federal funds under this Act (whether directly or through a
subgrant from a State or local educational agency).''.
(b) Effective Date and Applicability.--The amendments made by
subsection (a) shall take effect 180 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act and shall apply with respect to school years
beginning on or after such effective date.
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