Providing for Consideration of H.R. Parents Bill of Rights Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. ALFORD. Mr. Speaker, how dare they. How dare they conflate the names of two great people: Nelson Mandela and Rosa Parks--books about these heroes--and conflate them about books about sexual promiscuity of our children. How dare they.

I am starting to see in my short time here in the U.S. Congress how this game is played. It is a conflate and confuse and baffle the American people.

We are here to set the record straight.

Mr. Speaker, if one good thing came out of COVID, when our kids were forced to stay home, it is that parents saw exactly what they were learning and what they were being taught. The parents didn't like it. The parents raised their voices. And because of that, they were condemned as domestic terrorists. That was wrong, Mr. Speaker. That was just plain wrong.

As a father myself, I understand. I understand that our children are the most important things in our lives. It is our job to put them in a position to have a better life than we did. Raising and rearing children to be smart, capable, contributing members of society should be our number one objective. Of course, we all know this starts at home. Make no mistake, it does continue at our schools and in our classrooms.

Schools are where our children spend the majority of their childhood, shaping the ideas, building the relationships, building the friendships they will have for a lifetime. This is exactly why parents deserve a seat at the table, and this legislation provides this seat.

Parents have a right to know what is being taught. They have a right to be heard. They have a right to see how a school is spending their taxpayer dollars. Most importantly, they have a right to protect their children's privacy.

When my Republican colleagues and I won back this Chamber, we swore-- we swore to the voters and constituents that we were going to defend these rights. The Parents Bill of Rights isn't the only step, but it is a great first step.

This legislation ensures curriculum information, books, reading material, and learning standards are made public to parents. Parents will now have an open line of communication with teachers and school board officials. They will not be condemned as terrorists.

Folks, this is common sense. To my good friends on the other side of the aisle, this really shouldn't be a debate.

Then again, I never thought weeks ago that I would have to stand here and condemn socialism that they voted for.

I never thought I would have to stand here and defend the rights of a baby that survived abortion, and yet we had to do that. I thought that was common sense as well, and I was wrong.

Mr. Speaker, this is not about changing history, this is about preserving our future as a Nation. This is not about banning books. This is about promoting transparency.

It is our job and it is our responsibility to protect our children from the evils being taught in some classrooms across the country--not all.

I am proud to be a voice for the parents of Missouri, for our district, and for parents across this great land. I am here to tell you, Mr. Speaker, it is time to take a stand. It is time to take a stand for our children. It is time to take a stand for our families. It is time to take a stand for our schools. It is time to take a stand for our great Nation.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the rules package of this critical piece of legislation.

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