Title: Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the First Amendment rights of parents at school board meetings shall not be infringed.
Policy area: Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues

Summary:
This resolution (1) supports the constitutional rights of parents to assemble and petition school boards, and (2) condemns the weaponization of federal law enforcement agencies against parents exercising their rights.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 738 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 738

  Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the First 
   Amendment rights of parents at school board meetings shall not be 
                               infringed.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 21, 2021

 Mr. Stauber (for himself, Mr. McClintock, Mr. Bost, Mr. Grothman, Ms. 
   Herrell, Mr. Pence, Mr. Posey, Mr. Rutherford, Mr. Rice of South 
     Carolina, Mr. Kelly of Pennsylvania, Mrs. Steel, Mr. Joyce of 
   Pennsylvania, Mr. Mullin, Mr. Tony Gonzales of Texas, Mr. Good of 
 Virginia, Mr. Hagedorn, Mr. Thompson of Pennsylvania, Mrs. Hartzler, 
 Mr. Norman, Ms. Malliotakis, Mr. Balderson, Mr. Cline, Mr. Bishop of 
  North Carolina, Mr. Chabot, Mrs. Fischbach, Mrs. Miller-Meeks, Mr. 
Emmer, Mr. Gohmert, and Mr. Babin) submitted the following resolution; 
          which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the First 
   Amendment rights of parents at school board meetings shall not be 
                               infringed.

Whereas the First Amendment to the Constitution reads, ``Congress shall make no 
        law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free 
        exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; 
        or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the 
        Government for a redress of grievances.'';
Whereas schools, under political pressure, have implemented critical race 
        theory, which teaches children to divide themselves from their 
        classmates, as part of curricula;
Whereas schools have implemented mask mandates, jeopardizing learning potential 
        and disrupting classrooms;
Whereas schools have implemented vaccine mandates in violation of personal 
        choice and medical freedom, thereby creating thousands of teacher 
        vacancies nationwide;
Whereas parents have exercised their protected First Amendment right to assemble 
        and express concerns at school board meetings;
Whereas interest groups, in response to parents participating out of concern for 
        policies impacting their children's well-being and safety, requested the 
        Department of Justice label parents as ``domestic terrorists'';
Whereas, on October 4, 2021, the Attorney General, as appointed by the 
        President, has directed the Federal Bureau of Investigation to prosecute 
        parents who exercise their First Amendment rights at school board 
        meetings; and
Whereas, on October 15, 2021, sitting members of the United States Commission on 
        Civil Rights wrote to the Attorney General to express concern that 
        protected political speech by parents could be prosecuted under the 
        October 4 directive, in direct violation of their First Amendment 
        rights, because of political disagreement: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) supports the rights enumerated in the Constitution of 
        parents to assemble and petition school boards; and
            (2) condemns weaponization of Federal law enforcement 
        agencies against parents exercising their rights.
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