NEGATIVE LGBTQ+ Rights 119th Congress

H.R.2616 School Gender-Recognition Consent Mandate

Requires public elementary and middle schools, as a condition of receiving funds under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, to obtain parental consent before changing a minor student's gender markers, pronouns, or preferred name on any school form, or changing the student's sex-based accommodations (locker rooms, bathrooms). (119th Congress)

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Who Lobbied on This Bill

$1.2M combined quarterly activity

2 lobbying firms

2 clients represented

2025-first_quarter–2026-second_quarter filing period

Policy Areas Covered

Civil Rights/Civil Liberties Education

Government Entities Lobbied

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
SENATE

Who Hired the Lobbyists

AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS
PEN AMERICA nonprofit

Source: Senate LDA filings · Dollar figures are combined quarterly totals for all lobbying by each firm, not bill-specific spend.

Conditions federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act funding (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.) on parental sign-off before a school may recognize a minor student's gender markers, pronouns, preferred name, or sex-based accommodations. The CRS-published reported summary of H.R.5 (118th, "Parents Bill of Rights Act") contains the identical provision — H.R.2616 isolates that single section into a standalone bill. The statutory mechanism is parental affirmative-consent as a categorical gate to school recognition of a student's gender identity.