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Divided House Passes G.O.P. Bill on Hot-Button Schools Issues Divided House Passes G.O.P. Bill on Hot-Button Schools Issues
(1 day later)
WASHINGTON — A divided House on Friday approved legislation that would mandate that schools make library catalogs and curriculums public, and that they obtain parental consent before honoring a student’s request to change their gender-identifying pronouns, part of a Republican effort to wring political advantage from a raging debate over contentious social issues.WASHINGTON — A divided House on Friday approved legislation that would mandate that schools make library catalogs and curriculums public, and that they obtain parental consent before honoring a student’s request to change their gender-identifying pronouns, part of a Republican effort to wring political advantage from a raging debate over contentious social issues.
The bill, approved almost entirely along party lines on a vote of 213 to 208, is a centerpiece of the Republican agenda that its sponsors call the Parents Bill of Rights Act. It has no chance of passing the Democratic-controlled Senate or being signed by President Biden, whose advisers say it endangers transgender children without actually supporting parents.The bill, approved almost entirely along party lines on a vote of 213 to 208, is a centerpiece of the Republican agenda that its sponsors call the Parents Bill of Rights Act. It has no chance of passing the Democratic-controlled Senate or being signed by President Biden, whose advisers say it endangers transgender children without actually supporting parents.
Its passage reflected the latest bid by House Republicans to focus on topics that animate the right-wing base by promoting what they cast as common-sense changes that could appeal to voters across the ideological spectrum. Republican proponents describe the bill as a measure “to ensure the rights of parents are honored and protected in the nation’s public schools,” and argue that the goal is to provide students the best learning experience possible.Its passage reflected the latest bid by House Republicans to focus on topics that animate the right-wing base by promoting what they cast as common-sense changes that could appeal to voters across the ideological spectrum. Republican proponents describe the bill as a measure “to ensure the rights of parents are honored and protected in the nation’s public schools,” and argue that the goal is to provide students the best learning experience possible.
“Sending a child to public school does not terminate parental rights at the door,” said Representative Erin Houchin, Republican of Indiana. “It gives power back to parents.”“Sending a child to public school does not terminate parental rights at the door,” said Representative Erin Houchin, Republican of Indiana. “It gives power back to parents.”
Democrats argue instead that the bill could create a legal basis for censorship in schools and book bans, and would create divisions based on sexual orientation and gender identity. During debate on the House floor this week, some Democrats dubbed the legislation the “Politics Over Parents Act,” calling it extreme and a vehicle to bring political battles over social issues into classrooms while attempting to codify parental rights that already exist.
“This bill does not give parents any more rights than they already have,” said Representative Mary Gay Scanlon, Democrat of Pennsylvania. Instead, she said, it provided a “one size fits all approach across the country, assuming the size that fits is a right wing straight jacket.”