[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 556 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 556

To prohibit the United States Armed Forces from promoting anti-American 
                          and racist theories.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 28, 2023

 Mr. Cotton (for himself, Mr. Daines, Mrs. Blackburn, Mr. Lee, and Mr. 
   Lankford) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
              referred to the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To prohibit the United States Armed Forces from promoting anti-American 
                          and racist theories.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Combating Racist Training in the 
Military Act of 2023''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) The founding principles of the United States include 
        the belief, enshrined in the Declaration of Independence, that 
        ``all men are created equal'' and ``are endowed by their 
        Creator with certain unalienable Rights''.
            (2) The United States commitment to the equal dignity and 
        natural rights of all mankind is the strongest possible defense 
        against racism and oppression of all kinds.
            (3) The mission of the United States Armed Forces is to 
        ``support and defend the Constitution of the United States 
        against all enemies, foreign and domestic'' and ``bear true 
        faith and allegiance to the same''.
            (4) To carry out this mission, the Armed Forces must train 
        leaders who love the United States, its citizens, and the 
        aforementioned founding principles.
            (5) Anti-American and racist theories, such as ``Critical 
        Race Theory'', teach that the United States is a fundamentally 
        racist Nation, that the Constitution is a fundamentally racist 
        document, and that certain races are fundamentally oppressive 
        or oppressed.
            (6) Such theories encourage people to judge and treat 
        others differently on the basis of their race, rather than 
        treating them as equal citizens and human beings with equal 
        dignity and protection under the law.
            (7) Anti-American and racist theories, such as Critical 
        Race Theory, teach students to distrust and even hate their 
        country and fellow citizens.
            (8) The United States Armed Forces should not promote or 
        otherwise encourage anti-American and racist theories that 
        demoralize and divide its members while undermining its mission 
        to ``bear true faith and allegiance'' to the Constitution.

SEC. 3. PROHIBITION ON PROMOTION OF ANTI-AMERICAN AND RACIST THEORIES.

    (a) In General.--The United States Armed Forces and academic 
institutions operated or controlled by the Department of Defense shall 
not promote the following anti-American and racist theories:
            (1) Any race is inherently superior or inferior to any 
        other race.
            (2) The United States of America is a fundamentally racist 
        country.
            (3) The Declaration of Independence or the United States 
        Constitution are fundamentally racist documents.
            (4) An individual's moral character or worth is determined 
        by his or her race.
            (5) An individual, by virtue of his or her race, is 
        inherently racist or oppressive, whether consciously or 
        unconsciously.
            (6) An individual, because of his or her race, bears 
        responsibility for the actions committed by other members of 
        his or her race.
    (b) Promote Defined.--In this section, the term ``promote'' means 
the following:
            (1) Including theories described under subsection (a) or 
        materials that advocate such theories in curricula, reading 
        lists, seminars, workshops, trainings, or other educational or 
        professional settings in a manner that could reasonably give 
        rise to the appearance of official sponsorship, approval, or 
        endorsement.
            (2) Contracting with, hiring, or otherwise engaging 
        speakers, consultants, diversity trainers, and other persons 
        for the purpose of advocating theories described under 
        subsection (a).
            (3) Compelling members of the Armed Forces to affirm or 
        profess belief in theories described under subsection (a).
            (4) Segregating members of the Armed Forces or other 
        individuals by race in any setting, including educational and 
        training sessions.
    (c) Rules of Construction.--
            (1) Protected speech not restricted.--Nothing in this 
        section shall be construed to restrict the protected speech of 
        members of the Armed Forces or any individual.
            (2) Access to materials for the purpose of research or 
        independent study.--Nothing in this section shall be construed 
        to prevent individuals from accessing materials that advocate 
        theories described under subsection (a) for the purpose of 
        research or independent study.
            (3) Contextual education.--Nothing in this section shall be 
        construed to prevent the United States Armed Forces and 
        academic institutions operated or controlled by the Department 
        of Defense from stating theories described under subsection (a) 
        or assigning materials that advocate such theories for 
        educational purposes in contexts that make clear the United 
        States Armed Forces and Department of Defense does not sponsor, 
        approve, or endorse such theories or works.
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