H.R. 1351

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1351 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

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.

_______________________________________________________________________

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

_______________________________________________________________________

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.
<all>