Real Education and Access for Healthy Youth Act of 2025
Sponsored By: Representative Adams
Introduced
Summary
Comprehensive, evidence-informed sex education would get a national framework and federal grant programs to expand medically accurate, youth-friendly sexual health services for young people ages 10 to 29. The bill emphasizes confidentiality, cultural responsiveness, trauma-informed care, and a reproductive justice approach aligned with national sex education standards.
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- Families and young people: Curricula and services would cover pregnancy prevention, sexually transmitted infections, consent, gender identity and expression, and support for survivors and parenting youth. It aims to reduce inequities affecting Black, Indigenous, Latine, Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and other people of color.
- Schools, colleges, and educators: State and local education agencies, tribal organizations, and higher education institutions would compete for five-year grants to develop instruction, orientation courses, peer programs, and teacher training. Higher education grants prioritize minority-serving and needy institutions and allow subgrants for professional development.
- Underserved communities and health services: Grant-funded projects would deliver youth-friendly sexual health services, improve referrals and outreach, modify service locations and schedules, and provide transportation or linkages while prohibiting medically inaccurate or exclusionary uses of funds.
*Would authorize $100 million per year for fiscal years 2026 through 2031 to carry out the programs, with set reservations for each grant category.*
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
6 provisions identified: 6 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
End federal abstinence-only funding
The bill would repeal the federal law that authorizes the Abstinence Only Until Marriage program. If enacted, that authorization would end going forward.
New grants for youth sexual health
This bill would fund $100 million each year for fiscal years 2026–2031. The government would award competitive 5‑year grants for K–12, colleges, educator training, and youth‑friendly sexual health services. Each year, the Department would reserve up to 30% for K–12 and youth programs, up to 10% for colleges, up to 15% for educator training, and up to 30% for youth services, with at least 5% for evaluation and at least 10% for research and technical help. It would also move any unused money from the old abstinence‑only program into these activities, and that money would stay available until spent.
No discrimination or misleading sex education
Federal money from this bill could not fund programs that hide life‑saving information (including about HIV), are medically wrong or incomplete, or promote stereotypes. Programs would need to meet the needs of sexually active youth, pregnant or parenting youth, survivors of violence, and youth with different abilities, identities, and orientations. Funded activities could not discriminate based on sex (including sexual orientation and gender identity), age, parental status, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, disability, or religion. Other civil rights protections would still apply.
Who can get help and services
You would be eligible if you are age 10–29 when you start a program. Grants would prioritize underserved young people, including people of color, immigrants, youth in foster care or juvenile justice, homeless youth, pregnant or parenting youth, LGBTQ+ youth, youth with HIV, youth with disabilities, low‑income youth, and rural youth. Services could include education and counseling, all FDA‑approved birth control, routine gynecologic care, HPV shots, cancer screenings, PrEP and PEP, mental health and substance use care, and survivor services.
Add info on IV drug risks
Programs that get federal health education funds under this title would have to include information on the effects of intravenous drug use. This would replace older content rules for those programs.
Annual reports and independent evaluation
Grantees would file yearly reports on how funds were used and who was served. The Department would report to Congress within one year, and then yearly for five years. The Department would hire an independent nonprofit within six months to run a multi‑year evaluation. The final evaluation would be due within six years and would be public.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Adams
NC • D
Cosponsors
Rep. Jayapal, Pramila [D-WA-7]
WA • D
Sponsored 5/21/2025
Rep. Beyer, Donald S. [D-VA-8]
VA • D
Sponsored 5/21/2025
Davis (IL)
IL • D
Sponsored 5/21/2025
Bonamici
OR • D
Sponsored 5/21/2025
Rep. Brownley, Julia [D-CA-26]
CA • D
Sponsored 6/4/2025
Rep. Quigley, Mike [D-IL-5]
IL • D
Sponsored 6/4/2025
Rep. Tonko, Paul [D-NY-20]
NY • D
Sponsored 6/4/2025
Rep. Castor, Kathy [D-FL-14]
FL • D
Sponsored 6/4/2025
DelBene
WA • D
Sponsored 6/4/2025
Rep. Strickland, Marilyn [D-WA-10]
WA • D
Sponsored 6/5/2025
Rep. Beatty, Joyce [D-OH-3]
OH • D
Sponsored 6/5/2025
Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large]
DC • D
Sponsored 6/5/2025
Sewell
AL • D
Sponsored 6/5/2025
Rep. Dean, Madeleine [D-PA-4]
PA • D
Sponsored 6/5/2025
Casten
IL • D
Sponsored 6/5/2025
Rep. Ross, Deborah K. [D-NC-2]
NC • D
Sponsored 6/5/2025
Rep. Pocan, Mark [D-WI-2]
WI • D
Sponsored 6/5/2025
Rep. Omar, Ilhan [D-MN-5]
MN • D
Sponsored 6/24/2025
Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI-12]
MI • D
Sponsored 10/8/2025
Fletcher
TX • D
Sponsored 5/13/2026
Rep. Chu, Judy [D-CA-28]
CA • D
Sponsored 5/13/2026
Cohen
TN • D
Sponsored 5/13/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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