In Mammoth Markup, Committee Republicans Push Through Partisan Bills to Fuel Culture Wars, Undermine Students Civil Rights and Right to Form Unions
WASHINGTON – Today, during a full Committee markup of nine bills, Committee Democrats opposed a series of partisan Republican bills that would undermine the welfare of students, workers, and educators.
“The[s]e partisan bills we will consider only further the Majority’s extreme agenda and inject divisive partisan politics into our children’s classrooms and college campuses,” said Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03).
H.J. Res. 165 would repeal the Biden Administration’s final Title IX regulation and put the safety and well-being of students at risk by seeking to dismantle critical protections against sex-based harassment in education programs.
In three of the nine bills, despite a lack of reported concerns about infiltration or undue influence of the Chinese government on our K-12 schools, Committee Republicans seek to impose unwarranted obstacles on public schools and educators, diverting attention from urgent issues like educator shortages and inadequate school infrastructure.
H.R. 6816 would bar all elementary schools from receiving federal education funds if they receive teaching materials or any other resources from the Chinese government.
H.R. 5567 would mandate public elementary and secondary schools to disclose any receipt of funds or contract arrangements with undefined “foreign sources” within 30 days. This bill, lacking additional financial resources to ensure smooth compliance, could divert resources from essential school programs.
H.R. 8649 would impose severe penalties, such as withholding funds to schools and entire school districts if administrators fail to disclose any donations, transactions, or agreements with any foreign entity with parents, whether intentional or not.
H.R. 8534 would strip students of their rights under labor and employment law, state or federal. This will block any effort to form a union, expect a minimum wage, or even to demand equal pay for equal work.
H.R. 8648 would fail to adequately combat antisemitism on college campuses and falls short of the civil rights enforcement the bill purports to address. While Republicans have previously called for significant cuts to the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR)–the office tasked with civil rights enforcement–H.R. 8648 leaves OCR under-resourced and ill-equipped to investigate claims of discrimination and antisemitism on college campuses.
However, amidst these troubling developments, Committee Democrats voted to support several bipartisan measures to improve the lives of frontline healthcare workers and examine the impact of history on Jewish and Native American communities.
H.R. 618 amends the Federal Employees Compensation Act to ensure injured federal employees, especially those in rural areas can get the appropriate care they need from state-licensed physician assistants and nurse practitioners when they are hurt on the job.
H.R. 8606 equips educators with necessary and grade appropriate resources to teach crucial lessons on the Holocaust.
H.R. 7227 is a bipartisan measure that acknowledges the federal government’s role in the systematic decimation of Indigenous people in the United States by establishing a commission to investigate, document, and report on the histories of Indian boarding schools.
Throughout the markup, Committee Democrats championed policies that prioritize the well-being of all workers, students, and families.
Read Ranking Member Scott’s opening statement from the markup here.
To read Democratic amendments and letters of support and opposition, click here.
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