Sponsors (3)
The bill helps school districts defend and be reimbursed for decisions to retain contested instructional materials and requires neutral grant decisions, but it directs modest federal funds toward legal defense reimbursements and may reduce parents' leverage and still leave smaller districts with gaps.
Local school districts and schools (LEAs) can recover legal costs (up to $100,000 per challenged decision) when defending choices to keep instructional or library materials, reducing the risk that legal fees force districts to change curriculum or divert classroom funds.
Students and schools are protected by a requirement that grant decisions be content- and viewpoint-neutral, reducing the risk of federal bias in evaluating contested instructional or library materials.
LEAs gain predictable, dedicated federal funding (totaling $15 million over five fiscal years) to help plan for litigation-related expenses and reimbursements.
Parents and community members who challenge instructional or library materials may have reduced leverage and face a chilling effect on objections because districts can recover legal costs, making some people less likely to raise concerns.
Federal taxpayers will fund up to $15 million in grants that reimburse local legal defenses of material choices, increasing federal spending for litigation support rather than direct classroom resources.
Smaller or resource-constrained LEAs may still face barriers when legal costs exceed the $100,000 per-determination cap or when grant application and reimbursement timing delays payment, leaving some districts exposed to unrecovered expenses.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Establishes federal grants to reimburse local school districts up to $100,000 per case for legal costs when defending instructional or school library materials, authorizing $15M for FY2027–2031.
Introduced February 25, 2026 by Maxwell Frost · Last progress February 25, 2026
Provides federal grants to local school districts to reimburse legal costs, including attorneys’ fees and court costs, when a parent or other person challenges a district’s decision not to remove instructional or school library materials. Grants cover costs not reimbursed by states or others, are capped at $100,000 per challenged determination, and are funded by a $15 million authorization for FY2027–2031.