Congressman Kevin Hern’s PROTECT Our Kids Act has passed the House of Representatives. The bill aims to prohibit federal education funding for elementary or secondary schools that continue to host Confucius Classrooms, which are Chinese language or cultural programs supported by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Schools will receive notifications about these new requirements and guidance on compliance. The legislation targets only programs funded or supported by the CCP and does not affect language programs in schools that do not partner with the CCP.
“Congress has done the work to crack down on CCP propaganda and Confucius Institutes at our universities,” said Rep. Hern. “It’s time we do the same for our elementary and secondary schools. My PROTECT Our Kids Act ensures that no taxpayer dollars go to K-12 schools that continue to allow CCP-funded programs designed to brainwash our children. This is commonsense legislation, and I’m proud to have it advance out of the House.”
Rep. Hern spoke on the House floor in support of the bill before its passage.
Kevin Hern has represented Oklahoma’s 1st district in Congress since 2018, after succeeding Jim Bridenstine. He was born in Belton, Missouri in 1961 and currently resides in Tulsa. Hern graduated from Arkansas Tech University with a bachelor’s degree in 1986 and later earned another degree from the University of Arkansas, Little Rock.
