# 119-hr-5116: Empower Parents to Protect their Kids Act

119-hr-5116, Empower Parents to Protect their Kids Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Miller, Mary E. [R-IL-15] (R-IL); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-22).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5116
- As of: 2026-10-22
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-5116
- Congress: 119
- Title: Empower Parents to Protect their Kids Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-09-03
- Sponsor: Rep. Miller, Mary E. [R-IL-15] (R-IL)
- Cosponsors: 16
- Policy area: Education
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-10-22

## Summary

**Requires parental consent before schools take actions affirming a minor's gender identity.** It would condition federal education funding on schools following explicit parental-consent rules and create a private right for parents and the Attorney General to sue over violations. - Families: Parents would have to give express consent before a school changes records, uses a different name or pronouns, allows access to different clothing or facilities, or refers a minor to a medical provider for a gender-transition procedure. - Schools and districts: To keep federal funds they would need to adopt, publicly post, and provide copies of parental-consent policies and describe steps to ensure compliance to federal agencies. The bill also preserves staff authority to report imminent threats to safety. - Legal remedies: A parent or the Attorney General could bring suit without first exhausting administrative remedies. Courts could award injunctive or declaratory relief, reasonable attorneys' fees, and payments for treatments or therapy to "repair harm" as determined by the parent and the child's medical providers.

## Cosponsors (16)

- Rep. Luna, Anna Paulina [R-FL-13] (R-FL), 2025-09-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Biggs, Sheri [R-SC-3] (R-SC), 2025-09-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Self, Keith [R-TX-3] (R-TX), 2025-09-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Boebert, Lauren [R-CO-4] (R-CO), 2025-09-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Harrigan, Pat [R-NC-10] (R-NC), 2025-09-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Moore, Barry [R-AL-1] (R-AL), 2025-09-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Harshbarger, Diana [R-TN-1] (R-TN), 2025-09-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Stefanik, Elise M. [R-NY-21] (R-NY), 2025-09-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Mace, Nancy [R-SC-1] (R-SC), 2025-09-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Higgins, Clay [R-LA-3] (R-LA), 2025-09-04T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Grothman, Glenn [R-WI-6] (R-WI), 2025-09-08T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Guest, Michael [R-MS-3] (R-MS), 2025-09-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. McDowell, Addison P. [R-NC-6] (R-NC), 2025-09-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Evans, Dwight [D-PA-3] (D-PA), 2025-09-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Fry, Russell [R-SC-7] (R-SC), 2025-10-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Evans, Gabe [R-CO-8] (R-CO), 2026-01-07T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Parents could sue schools for violations: benefit, high. If enacted, the Attorney General or a parent could sue a school or related government body over an actual or threatened violation. They would not need to use school or agency grievance steps first. A court could order the school to stop the practice, declare rights, and award reasonable attorney fe…
- How the bill defines sex terms: mixed, high. If enacted, the bill would define key terms for this section. Male and female would be based on reproductive functions, with exceptions for certain congenital or similar conditions. Gender transition would mean moving from identifying with one’s sex to a different self‑proclaimed identity. It would…
- Parental consent rules for K–12 schools: mixed, high. If enacted, K–12 schools that get federal money would need a parent’s express consent before helping a student under 18 with gender‑transition steps. Staff would be barred from hiding related information from parents or urging students to keep it from them. Schools could not pressure parents or stu…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-425: Repealing Big Brother Overreach Act
- 119-hr-1502: North Platte Canteen Congressional Gold Medal Act
- 119-hr-987: Fair Access to Banking Act
- 119-hr-38: Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2025
- 119-hr-1628: 761st Tank Battalion Congressional Gold Medal Act
- 119-hr-9298: Stopping Harmful and Outrageous Torts Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-5116 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/5116)

## Related
- [119-hr-425: Repealing Big Brother Overreach Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-425)
- [119-hr-1502: North Platte Canteen Congressional Gold Medal Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1502)
- [119-hr-987: Fair Access to Banking Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-987)
- [119-hr-38: Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-38)
- [119-hr-1628: 761st Tank Battalion Congressional Gold Medal Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1628)
- [119-hr-9298: Stopping Harmful and Outrageous Torts Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9298)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5116 (as of 2026-10-22).