This bill aims to prohibit schools and educational agencies from obtaining or distributing sexually explicit materials. It establishes new criminal penalties for publishing houses that provide such materials to schools, and blocks federal funding for schools and agencies that obtain or distribute these materials.
Latest Action
Referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
AI Summary
Plain-English explanation of this bill
This bill aims to prohibit schools and educational agencies from obtaining or distributing sexually explicit materials. It establishes new criminal penalties for publishing houses that provide such materials to schools, and blocks federal funding for schools and agencies that obtain or distribute these materials.
Last updated: 12/29/2025
Official Summary
Congressional Research Service summary
<p>This bill establishes new criminal offenses related to furnishing sexually explicit material (i.e., books, magazines, newspapers, or other printed material and digital or electronic books) to elementary or secondary schools or state or local educational agencies. It also prohibits federal funds for schools that obtain or educational agencies that distribute such material.</p> <p>Specifically, the bill makes it a crime for a president, director, manager, or officer of a publishing house to knowingly authorize the furnishing of published material containing a sexually explicit visual depiction to schools or educational agencies. A violator is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term of up to five years, or both.</p> <p>The bill imposes a fine on a publishing house that knowingly furnishes such published material to schools or educational agencies.</p> <p>The bill also prohibits federal funds from being provided to (1) schools that knowingly obtain such published material, and (2) educational agencies that knowingly distribute such material to schools.</p> <p>The bill includes exceptions for material with serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.</p>
Key Points
Main provisions of the bill
Creates new criminal offenses for publishing houses that provide sexually explicit materials to schools or educational agencies
Imposes fines on publishing houses that knowingly furnish sexually explicit materials to schools or educational agencies
Prohibits federal funding from going to schools that obtain or educational agencies that distribute sexually explicit materials
Includes exceptions for materials with serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value
How This Impacts Americans
Potential effects on citizens and communities
If this bill becomes law, it would affect schools, educational agencies, and publishing houses across the country. Schools and agencies that obtain or distribute sexually explicit materials could lose federal funding, and publishing houses that provide these materials could face criminal penalties. This could lead to changes in the types of educational materials used in schools and how they are selected.
Policy Areas
Primary Policy Area
Crime and Law Enforcement
Scope & Jurisdiction
Jurisdiction Level
federal
Congressional Session
119th Congress
Citation Reference
863, 119th Congress (2025). "National Human Trafficking Database Act". Source: Voter's Right Platform. https://votersright.org/bills/118-hr-863
