II 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 4292 

To prohibit Federal funds from being made available to teach the 1619 

Project curriculum in elementary schools and secondary schools, and 

for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 23, 2020 

Mr. COTTON introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

A BILL 

To prohibit Federal funds from being made available to 

teach the 1619 Project curriculum in elementary schools 

and secondary schools, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Saving American His5 tory Act of 2020’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 


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1 (1) The true date of America’s founding is July 

2 4, 1776, the day the Declaration of Independence 

3 was adopted by the Second Continental Congress. 

4 (2) The self-evident truths set forth by that 

5 Declaration are the fundamental principles upon 

6 which America was founded. 

7 (3) An activist movement is now gaining mo8 mentum to deny or obfuscate this history by claim9 ing that America was not founded on the ideals of 

10 the Declaration but rather on slavery and oppres11 sion. 

12 (4) This distortion of American history is being 

13 taught to children in public school classrooms via the 

14 New York Times’ ‘‘1619 Project’’, which claims that 

15 ‘‘nearly everything that has truly made America ex16 ceptional’’ grew ‘‘out of slavery’’. 

17 (5) The 1619 Project is a racially divisive and 

18 revisionist account of history that threatens the in19 tegrity of the Union by denying the true principles 

20 on which it was founded. 

21 (6) The Federal Government has a strong in22 terest in promoting an accurate account of the Na23 tion’s history through public schools and forming 

24 young people into knowledgeable and patriotic citi25 zens. 


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1 SEC. 3. PROHIBITION OF FEDERAL FUNDING FOR SCHOOLS 

2 TO TEACH THE 1619 PROJECT CURRICULUM. 

3 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

4 (1) ESEA.—The terms ‘‘elementary school’’, 

5 ‘‘local educational agency’’, and ‘‘secondary school’’ 

6 have the meanings given the terms in section 8101 

7 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 

8 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 

9 (2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretaries’’ 

10 means the Secretary of Education, the Secretary of 

11 Agriculture, and the Secretary of Health and 

12 Human Services. 

13 (b) PROHIBITION OF USE OF FEDERAL FUNDING

14 FOR 1619 PROJECT.—Notwithstanding any other provi15 sion of law, no Federal funds shall be used by any— 

16 (1) elementary school or secondary school to 

17 teach the 1619 Project initiative of the New York 

18 Times in such school; or 

19 (2) local educational agency to support the 

20 teaching of the 1619 Project initiative of the New 

21 York Times in the public schools served by such 

22 agency. 

23 (c) PROHIBITION ON FEDERAL PROFESSIONAL DE24 VELOPMENT FUNDS FOR SCHOOLS THAT TEACH THE

25 1619 PROJECT.—Notwithstanding any other provision of 

26 law, an elementary school or secondary school that teaches 


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1 the 1619 Project initiative of the New York Times in such 

2 school or a local educational agency that supports the 

3 teaching of the 1619 Project initiative of the New York 

4 Times in the public schools served by such agency shall 

5 not receive any Federal funding for professional develop6 ment. 

7 (d) DETERMINATION OF COST AND REDUCTION IN

8 FEDERAL FUNDS.— 

9 (1) IN GENERAL.—In the case of an elementary 

10 school or secondary school that receives Federal 

11 funds and teaches the 1619 Project initiative of the 

12 New York Times in such school or a local edu13 cational agency that supports the teaching of the 

14 1619 Project initiative of the New York Times in 

15 the public schools served by such agency, the Secre16 taries shall determine the cost associated with teach17 ing the 1619 Project, including in planning time and 

18 teaching time. 

19 (2) REDUCTIONS.—The Secretaries, based on 

20 coordinated prorated formulas established by the 

21 Secretaries, shall reduce Federal funds provided to 

22 an elementary school, secondary school, or local edu23 cational agency described in paragraph (1) in an 

24 amount equal to the cost amount determined under 

25 paragraph (1). 


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1 (3) NO REDUCTION FOR CERTAIN FUNDS.—In 

2 reducing Federal funds to an elementary school, sec3 ondary school, or local educational agency under 

4 paragraph (2), the Secretaries shall not reduce Fed5 eral funds for— 

6 (A) the free and reduced price school lunch 

7 program established under the Richard B. Rus8 sell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 

9 1751 et seq.), or any other program for low-in10 come students; or 

11 (B) students with disabilities. 

12 (e) FUTURE FUNDING.—The Secretaries shall pro13 mulgate regulations to ensure that Federal funds provided 

14 after the date of enactment of this Act to an elementary 

15 school, secondary school, or local educational agency com16 ply with the requirements and restrictions provided under 

17 this Act. 

Æ 


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