Parents Bill of Rights Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. McGARVEY. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to H.R. 5, a bill that promotes conflict over clarity, callousness over kindness, and politics over problemsolving.

I am speaking today, not just as a Member of Congress, but as the parent of three young children, two of whom attend public schools in Louisville, Kentucky, and one who will be soon.

Parents should be involved in their kids' education, in everything from school board elections to the PTA, to communicating with their child's teacher on what is going on.

We received a message this morning from our kids' teacher letting us know that there would be no band because of the fifth grade musical.

This bill is about impeding, not involvement. The reason the American Library Association opposes this bill is because H.R. 5 clearly opens the door to deprive our kids of fact-based education, and it is part of a larger effort to ban free expression and ideas in the classroom. Even Cato thinks it is unconstitutional.

Like a lot of parents, we had to step in and teach some during the beginning of the pandemic. It wasn't easy, and I can assure you that curriculum should be ultimately determined by experts, not untrained individuals with extremist views.

In addition to restricting parents' rights, H.R. 5 hurts some of our most vulnerable kids in the LGBTQ community. Why?

According to the Trevor Project, one LGBTQ youth attempts suicide every 45 seconds, 45 seconds. Why?

Why are we being more cruel?

I believe that not just in politics but in life we are judged by how we treat those on the margins. My message to my colleagues is simple: Stop being mean to kids. We can be involved and be inclusive.

Normally, we warn our kids about dealing with bullies in their classrooms. We shouldn't have to warn them about bullying from adults, too. This message is simple, and I urge my colleagues to vote against it.

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