HR 5075
GRACE Act
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- Passed Senate
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Bill overview
The GRACE Act aims to ensure that schools and educational agencies receiving federal funding must allow for religious exemptions to vaccination requirements. It prohibits the distribution of federal education funds to institutions that don’t offer these exemptions. The bill focuses on protecting students' and parents' religious freedom by simplifying the process for claiming a religious exemption to vaccinations. It clarifies definitions related to children, educational institutions, and vaccination requirements.
Key provisions
- Prohibits federal education funds to institutions without religious exemptions to vaccinations.
- Requires institutions to allow exemptions based on sincerely held religious beliefs.
- Eliminates the requirement for documentation to support a religious exemption claim.
- Defines ‘child’ as an individual under 18.
- Defines ‘educational institution or agency’ broadly, including elementary, secondary, and state schools.
- Defines ‘vaccination requirement’ as any condition for enrollment or participation.
Who is affected
- Educational institutions (elementary, secondary, and state)
- Students
- Parents/Guardians of students
- Federal education agencies
- State educational agencies
Notable changes
- Creates a specific requirement for religious exemptions to vaccination policies.
- Simplifies the process for claiming a religious exemption by removing documentation requirements.
Sponsors
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Primary sponsor
Cosponsors
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119th CONGRESS — 1st Session
H. R. 5075
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
A BILL
To prohibit the award of Federal education funds to educational institutions and agencies that do not allow for religious exemptions to vaccination requirements, and for other purposes.
This Act may be cited as the Guaranteeing Religious Accommodation in Childhood Education Act GRACE Act
or the
.
an individual may be exempted from such requirement if such individual (or their parent or guardian, in the case of an individual who is a child) asserts that receiving the vaccination would violate a sincerely held religious belief; and
no documentation or other information is required to be submitted by the individual (or their parent or guardian) to support the validity of such assertion.
In this section:
The term child
means an individual who has not attained the age of 18 years.
The term educational institution or agency means an elementary school, secondary school, local educational agency, or State educational agency (as those terms are defined in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801)).
The term vaccination requirement means any requirement by an educational institution or agency that, as a condition for enrollment, attendance, participation in athletics or other student activities, or employment at the institution or agency, requires an individual to have received one or more vaccinations.