Restrict federal funding for elementary and middle schools that let students change pronouns, gender markers, or sex-based accommodations without parental consent.
Commitment kind: unknown. Promised action: not established. Promised outcome: not established. Deadline: unknown; not assumed expired.
Occurrences
“My bill will safeguard parental rights, improve the crucial relationship between parents and schools, and ensure that children can learn in an environment free from activist ideology.” The PROTECT Kids Act would restrict federal funding for any elementary or middle school that allows students to change their pronouns, gender markers, or sex-based accommodations (including locker rooms and bathrooms) without the consent of their parents.
Scott promoted the PROTECT Kids Act as a measure to safeguard parental rights by withholding federal funding from schools that allow certain gender-related changes or accommodations without parental consent.
failure to comply with these federal parental rights laws can result in the loss of federal funding.
Fetched verbatim passage. AI summary (separate from source): Within the lookback window, ED warned federally funded education agencies that FERPA/PPRA violations can lead to loss of federal funding, a partial administrative implementation related to parental-rights enforcement.
hide children’s name changes and pronouns from parents.
Fetched verbatim passage. AI summary (separate from source): ED specifically tied its parental-rights enforcement record to hidden gender-support plans and concealed name/pronoun changes, but this is FERPA/PPRA enforcement rather than the exact statutory funding restriction Scott proposed.
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Fetched verbatim passage. AI summary (separate from source): The closest 119th Congress bill had passed the House but was only referred to the Senate HELP Committee, so the legislative promise remained unenacted as of the latest official action shown.
unverified · Source version 63785 · locator unknown
Status: Passed
VOTES
Aye: 217
No: 198
Unverified model/legacy excerpt; not proof. AI summary (separate from source): The House passed H.R. 2616, documenting concrete legislative progress but not final enactment.
unverified · Source version 63787 · locator unknown
shall obtain parental consent before changing a covered student's--
(1) gender markers, pronouns, or preferred name
Unverified model/legacy excerpt; not proof. AI summary (separate from source): The 2026 bill text matched the core promise by conditioning ESEA funds on parental consent before changes to covered students’ gender markers, pronouns, preferred names, or accommodations.
The PROTECT Kids Act would restrict federal funding for any elementary or middle school
Fetched verbatim passage. AI summary (separate from source): Scott’s Senate office announced the original PROTECT Kids Act, establishing that he made a concrete legislative attempt, but introduction alone did not deliver the funding restriction.