I 
113TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4008 
To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to prohibit 
Federal mandates, direction, or control of specific instructional content, 
and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 6, 2014 
Mr. GINGREY of Georgia introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
the Committee on Education and the Workforce 
A BILL 
To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 
of 1965 to prohibit Federal mandates, direction, or con-
trol of specific instructional content, and for other pur-
poses. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Educational Freedom 
Act of 2014’’. 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
02:33 Feb 07, 2014
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4008.IH
H4008
jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
SEC. 2. PROHIBITION AGAINST FEDERAL MANDATES, DI-
RECTION, OR CONTROL. 
Subpart 2 of part E of title IX of the Elementary 
and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7901 
et seq.) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating sections 9534, 9535, and 
9536 (20 U.S.C. 7914, 7915, and 7916), as sections 
9535, 9536, and 9537, respectively; and 
(2) by inserting after section 9533 (20 U.S.C. 
7913) the following: 
‘‘SEC. 9534. PROHIBITION AGAINST FEDERAL MANDATES, 
DIRECTION, OR CONTROL. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—No officer or employee of the 
Federal Government shall, directly or indirectly, through 
grants, contracts, or other cooperative agreements, man-
date, direct, incentivize, or control a State’s, local edu-
cational agency’s, or school’s specific instructional content, 
academic standards and assessments, curricula, or pro-
gram of instruction (including through any requirement, 
direction, incentive, or mandate to adopt the Common 
Core State Standards developed under the Common Core 
State Standards Initiative or any other academic stand-
ards common to a significant number of States) nor shall 
any provision of this Act be construed to authorize such 
an officer or employee to do so. 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
02:33 Feb 07, 2014
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4008.IH
H4008
jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
‘‘(b) FINANCIAL SUPPORT.—No officer or employee 
of the Federal Government shall, directly or indirectly, 
through grants, contracts, or other cooperative agree-
ments, make financial support available in a manner that 
is conditioned upon a State’s, local educational agency’s, 
or school’s adoption of specific instructional content, aca-
demic standards and assessments, curriculum, or program 
of instruction (including any requirement, direction, or 
mandate to adopt the Common Core State Standards de-
veloped under the Common Core State Standards Initia-
tive, any other academic standards common to a signifi-
cant number of States, or any assessment, instructional 
content, or curriculum aligned to such standards) even if 
such requirements are specified in an Act other than this 
Act, nor shall any provision of this Act be construed to 
authorize such an officer or employee to do so.’’. 
Æ 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
02:33 Feb 07, 2014
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\H4008.IH
H4008
jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with BILLS