Title: Empowering Local Curriculum Act
Policy area: Education

Summary:
Empowering Local Curriculum Act
This bill specifies that nothing in federal education law shall be construed to require the use, teaching, promotion, or recommendation of any academic discipline, program, or activity that holds certain principles related to race or sex.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2711 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2711

   To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 and the Elementary and 
 Secondary Education Act of 1965 to provide rules of construction that 
    nothing in those Acts requires the use, teaching, promotion, or 
 recommendation of any academic discipline, program, or activity that 
holds that the United States is a Nation founded on white supremacy and 
 oppression, or that these forces are at the root of American society.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

              August 11 (legislative day, August 10), 2021

Mr. Lee (for himself and Mr. Scott of Florida) introduced the following 
  bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, 
                     Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 and the Elementary and 
 Secondary Education Act of 1965 to provide rules of construction that 
    nothing in those Acts requires the use, teaching, promotion, or 
 recommendation of any academic discipline, program, or activity that 
holds that the United States is a Nation founded on white supremacy and 
 oppression, or that these forces are at the root of American society.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Empowering Local Curriculum Act''.

SEC. 2. RULES OF CONSTRUCTION ON REQUIREMENTS OF TEACHING.

    (a) Higher Education.--Part B of title I of the Higher Education 
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1011 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 
the following:

``SEC. 124. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION ON REQUIREMENTS OF TEACHING.

    ``Nothing in this Act shall be construed to require the use, 
teaching, promotion, or recommendation of any academic discipline, 
program, or activity that holds the following:
            ``(1) The United States is a Nation founded on white 
        supremacy and oppression, or that these forces are at the root 
        of American society.
            ``(2) One race or sex is inherently superior to another 
        race or sex.
            ``(3) The United States is fundamentally racist or sexist.
            ``(4) An individual, by virtue of his or her race or sex, 
        is inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether 
        consciously or unconsciously.
            ``(5) An individual should be discriminated against or 
        receive adverse treatment solely or partly because of his or 
        her race or sex.
            ``(6) Members of one race or sex cannot and should not 
        attempt to treat others without respect to race or sex.
            ``(7) An individual's moral character is necessarily 
        determined by his or her race or sex.
            ``(8) An individual, by virtue of his or her race or sex, 
        bears responsibility for actions committed in the past by other 
        members of the same race or sex.
            ``(9) Any individual should feel discomfort, guilt, 
        anguish, or any other form of psychological distress on account 
        of his or her race or sex.
            ``(10) Meritocracy or traits such as a hard work ethic are 
        racist or sexist, or were created by a particular race to 
        oppress another race.''.
    (b) Elementary and Secondary Education.--Subpart 2 of part F of 
title VIII of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 7901 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 8549D. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION ON REQUIREMENTS OF TEACHING.

    ``Nothing in this Act shall be construed to require the use, 
teaching, promotion, or recommendation of any academic discipline, 
program, or activity that holds the following:
            ``(1) The United States is a Nation founded on white 
        supremacy and oppression, or that these forces are at the root 
        of American society.
            ``(2) One race or sex is inherently superior to another 
        race or sex.
            ``(3) The United States is fundamentally racist or sexist.
            ``(4) An individual, by virtue of his or her race or sex, 
        is inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether 
        consciously or unconsciously.
            ``(5) An individual should be discriminated against or 
        receive adverse treatment solely or partly because of his or 
        her race or sex.
            ``(6) Members of one race or sex cannot and should not 
        attempt to treat others without respect to race or sex.
            ``(7) An individual's moral character is necessarily 
        determined by his or her race or sex.
            ``(8) An individual, by virtue of his or her race or sex, 
        bears responsibility for actions committed in the past by other 
        members of the same race or sex.
            ``(9) Any individual should feel discomfort, guilt, 
        anguish, or any other form of psychological distress on account 
        of his or her race or sex.
            ``(10) Meritocracy or traits such as a hard work ethic are 
        racist or sexist, or were created by a particular race to 
        oppress another race.''.
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