Rep. Cynthia Lummis is sponsoring a bill that would allow parents who object to the latest federal guidelines on transgender students to receive education vouchers for private schools or homeschooling.
Lummis, R-Wyo., said the bill comes in response to the May edict issued by the Justice Department advising the nation’s public schools that transgender students may enter locker rooms, bathrooms and join sports teams that adhere to gender identity.
“My bill would provide that if a parent objected to a federal mandate that is accepted by their local schools, that they can get an education savings account in the amount that is the average for that state for educating a student,” Lummis said during a House conservative roundtable sponsored by the Heritage Foundation. “And they can take that money elsewhere.”
Lummis said parents could seek the vouchers if they objected to any federal mandate. The bill is a direct response to the transgender edict, which she said forces schools to comply because they receive about 10 percent of their funding from the federal government.
Lummis said it’s unlikely the bill could pass the Senate this year.
“I believe there will be enough support for it that it could potentially come out of committee and potentially pass the House,” Lummis said. “The point is, that it is a new vehicle that would be available in the next Congress that would get some vetting in this Congress and hopefully gain some momentum that could be carried on in the next Congress.”
