[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 153 (Thursday, September 18, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6732-S6735]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS
By Mr. LANKFORD (for himself, Mr. Scott of South Carolina, Mr.
Cassidy, Mr. Scott of Florida, Mr. Cramer, Mr. Hawley, Mr.
Grassley, Ms. Lummis, Mrs. Hyde-Smith, Mr. Cruz, Mr. Cotton,
Mr. Budd, Mr. Young, Mrs. Blackburn, Mr. Banks, Mrs. Britt, Mr.
Crapo, Mr. Tillis, Mr. Daines, Mr. Risch, Mrs. Capito, Mr.
Graham, Mr. Rounds, Mr. Ricketts, Mr. Kennedy, and Mr. Cornyn):
S. 2859. A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to ensure
campus access at public institutions of higher education for religious
groups; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Mr. LANKFORD. Mr. President, this week, I filed a bill, as I do
multiple different weeks. I don't come every week
[[Page S6733]]
to be able to talk about the bills that I file, but I want to be able
to talk about this a little bit and some context that comes into it.
I also don't come to this floor very often and read an entire bill to
this body, but I want to do that today. It is not long. It is literally
just half a page. But it reaffirms something that I think should be
pretty simple for all of us but for some reason has become
controversial in the past few decades.
Here is the whole bill. It says:
None of the funds made available under this Act may be
provided to any public institution of higher education that
denies to a religious student organization any right,
benefit, or privilege that is otherwise afforded to other
student organizations at the institution (including full
access to the facilities of the institution and official
recognition of the organization by the institution) because
of the religious beliefs, practices, speech, leadership
standards, or standards of conduct of the religious student
organization.
Now, this should be pretty simple for us as Americans. We should
treat religious organizations on a college campus the same as every
other organization. The university shouldn't be able to reach into some
organizations and say ``Because you are religious, we need to tone you
down'' or ``Because you are religious, we need to pick your leadership
for you because we want to pick your leadership.''
I will tell you, most Americans would say ``No one does that
anyway''--except they did. Under the Biden administration, this became
an issue, where multiple different colleges and universities would
reach into different religious organizations on campus and would deny
them access to be able to be on campus and use campus facilities at all
or they would say: We don't like the way you pick your leadership. You
need to have a broader perspective of leadership from multiple
different perspectives of the campus. It can't just be your particular
faith in your religious organization.
It became the most bizarre set of ideas that came out of the
Department of Education to say a Jewish organization had to pick non-
Jewish leaders to be the leadership of their organization or non-
Christians had to also be selected as leaders of their Christian
organization on campus.
We are like, what in the world? What happened to the basic right of
association and affiliation that is a constitutionally protected right?
That never happened to nonreligious organizations; it seemed to only
happen to religious organizations.
So while we have common agreement on this as Americans and while that
rule is now not being applied under the Trump administration, I raise a
very simple bill to say: Why can't we, as all Americans, agree that
religious organizations on college campuses should be treated exactly
the same as every other organization on any college campus? That should
be basic.
So I bring a very simple bill to be able to resolve that one big
issue and to say let's make this once and for all just a policy that we
have as Americans.
Now, I bring this up because it needs to be addressed, but I also
bring this up because next week, there is a significant event that is
going to happen all around the country--quite frankly, all around the
world--that some people won't even notice but, quite frankly, is Earth-
shattering.
Thirty-five years ago, a group of students gathered around a flagpole
early in the morning to be able to pray for their school. It was in
1990. It ended up being about 46,000 total students in 4 different
States, including my State of Oklahoma, that just kind of gathered. The
word kind of spread organically that one Wednesday morning in
September, students--high school and middle school students--would just
go and do one day publicly what they do privately other days; that is,
pray for their teachers, pray for their faculty at school, pray for
each other, pray for their parents, and pray for the Nation.
So in September of 1990, around 46,000--we don't know the exact
number--students in 4 different States just quietly gathered to pray.
Now, that may not seem like a big deal, but in 1990, there was a great
debate that was still spinning on this issue. In fact, that year, that
September day, at at least one of those gatherings, the sheriff's
department came out and arrested the students for praying--praying--on
their school campus before class started.
The result of that was that the next September, a million students
showed up to pray--a million, documented. From almost every State in
America, teenagers showed up at their high school or their middle
school campus just to be able to pray. They didn't have teachers with
them; they didn't have youth pastors with them--just students. They
gathered at their pole. It was a simple thing called See You at the
Pole--just that simple. They would encourage each other just to be able
to show up that one day in September to be able to pray publicly for
their parents, for their Nation, for their campus, and for what was
going on in their community.
It became the largest student prayer movement that we know of in the
history of the Nation. Year after year in September, one Wednesday,
students from around the Nation would gather. It was about 3 years
later that it started spreading globally, to where literally students
from around the world were just going to their flagpole, and they would
just gather to be able to pray.
Now, people have said over the years: Why a flagpole? Well, it is
because every school has a flagpole, and so it became just a common
cry. It kind of seems like ``See you at the principal's office''
doesn't ring as true. But it was just like, what does every single
campus have? Every single campus has a flagpole. So that simple
statement, ``See you at the pole,'' became really a challenge to say
``See you at a spot where we can pray.''
There is a lot going on in the country right now--a lot. There is a
lot of anger, there is a lot of frustration, and there are a lot of
questions about what happens next.
For 35 years, students have gone to their flagpole and have prayed
for the Nation. My simple request of them again this year is to do it
again. This Nation could use some prayer. This Nation could use a
generation rising up to be able to say: No one is going to stop us from
praying.
It is the most simple request that we have--to not go to government
but to go to God and say: We need your help. We need your intervention.
I am always proud of a group of students at a high school football
game that finish the game or that start the game just taking a knee to
be able to pray for each other, pray for safety, and then go out and
hit each other as hard as they possibly can on the football field. But
it is always fun for me to be able to watch the sportsmanship that
begins with two teams that gather together to pray, and it is almost
always just one player on each of the teams that drops that idea and
says: We should do this. Our team should do this.
It is not led by the coaches. It is not led by the teachers. It is
led by students that just say: Let's ask God to help us in this.
I am always impressed when I am on high school and junior high
campuses as I walk around the campus during lunch, and I see everyone
kind of gathering for lunch and all the conversation happening, and I
will see a couple students over in the corner, as they sit down at
their lunch, to be able to just bow their heads for just a simple
moment to be able to thank God for their food.
I am always impressed when I hear about groups of students that get
together on a regular basis just to be able to have Bible study
together, just to be able to pray for each other. They face a lot of
pressure. They face a lot of challenges in this day and age. It is
resetting and centering when they actually stop to say: Let's pray
about that.
I am tremendously impressed that for 35 years--now a second
generation of students are gathering at their flagpoles the fourth
Wednesday of September to be able to just pray for each other, pray for
their teachers, pray for their school, and this time, an earnest plea
to God to help our Nation.
I am proud of students of faith and how they gather to be able to
say: These days are dark, but we believe in a God who gives light, and
we will choose to be a light on our own campus and do what we can to be
able to serve each other and to be able to serve our schools.
Those are the role models that we need in a new generation. Those are
the folks that we look forward to seeing what they do in the days
ahead.
[[Page S6734]]
As fun as it is to me, students that are gathering this year are the
children of the first generation that gathered 35 years ago to start a
movement to be able to pray. Thirty-five years ago, I was a youth
minister. I was a part of that first See You at the Pole in 1990. I was
in leadership, helping organize students in getting the word out, to be
able to say ``What can we do''--what can we do--``to serve each other
and the Nation?'' The obvious answer began with ``Let's pray.''
See You at the Pole was born. It wasn't my idea. It was a group of
students' idea. I just got to help fan the flame.
Students of this Nation need the encouragement of this body to be
able to say ``well done'' and set a fresh new example; be the next
generation of leaders; be the people who will rise up and do what is
right; be the role models that are desperately needed; be individuals
who will actually not only have a faith but live your faith--all the
principles of the faith.
We can certainly use individuals in our Nation right now who are
living the most basic principles of loving God with all your heart,
soul, mind, and strength and loving your neighbor as yourself.
To the students of this Nation, I would encourage them to ``see you
at the pole'' next Wednesday morning.
This coming Wednesday morning, September 24, you can be assured I am
going to be parked across the street from a campus watching a group of
students pray for a Nation that needs help. I will join them and say,
``God help us. We need your help.'' I will see you at the pole.
______
By Mr. PADILLA (for himself and Mr. Schiff):
S. 2871. A bill to take certain Federal land in the State of
California into trust for the benefit of the Pit River Tribe, and for
other purposes; to the Committee on Indian Affairs.
Mr. PADILLA. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Pit River
Land Transfer Act of 2025. This bill would transfer 584 acres of
Federal land, administered by the Forest Service, to the Secretary of
the Interior to be held in trust for the Pit River Tribe, California.
The Pit River Tribe consists of 11 autonomous bands traditionally
inhabiting the area surrounding the Pit River and its tributaries. They
are known for their deep spiritual connection to the land, with a rich
cultural heritage centered around fishing, hunting, and seasonal
gatherings. Today, they continue to preserve their traditions while
engaging in efforts to reclaim ancestral lands and promote tribal
sovereignty.
The proposed land to be transferred is known as the Four Corners
Property, located in Shasta County. Today, the Four Corners Federal
land is located in the ancestral territory of the Tribe, which the
Tribe has historically used and has an ongoing relationship with.
This legislation is a commonsense step forward that will empower the
Tribe to better serve their communities and empower Tribal self-growth.
I want to thank Senator Schiff for cosponsoring this bill, and I also
want to thank Republican Congressman Doug LaMalfa for introducing
companion legislation in the House.
______
BY MR. PADILLA:
S. 2881. A bill to provide for the transfer of administrative
jurisdiction over certain Federal land in the State of California, and
for other purposes; to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Mr. PADILLA. Mr. President, I rise to introduce the Ackerson Meadow
Land Exchange Act. This legislation will facilitate a simple land
exchange between the National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service
in the Sierra Nevada.
This bill would transfer 160 acres of Stanislaus National Forest land
to the National Park Service to be managed as part of Yosemite National
Park and transfer 170 acres of National Park land to the Forest Service
to manage as part of Stanislaus National Forest. The land in the
exchange is known as Ackerson Meadow.
Ackerson Meadow is one of the largest midelevation meadows in the
Sierra Nevada. It is an ecologically and regionally critical wildlife
corridor, and the scenic meadow is an important habitat for the State
endangered great grey owl and little willow flycatcher, as well as a
suite of additional at-risk wildlife species. In 2016, a coalition of
conservation groups donated Ackerson Meadow to Yosemite National Park;
however, it is almost completely surrounded by Stanislaus National
Forest and only partially contiguous to the rest of Yosemite National
Park.
The current configuration of land management presents logistical
challenges to both NPS and Forest Service; therefore, both Agencies, as
well as local stakeholders, support this land exchange.
I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass this
straightforward legislation to better manage the land in and around
Ackerson Meadow.
By Mr. DURBIN:
S. 2889. A bill to promote minimum State requirements for the
prevention and treatment of concussions caused by participation in
school sports, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of
the bill be printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be
printed in the Record, as follows:
S. 2889
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 ``Protecting Student Athletes
from Concussions Act of 2025''.
SEC. 2. MINIMUM STATE REQUIREMENTS.
(a) Minimum Requirements.--Each State that receives funds
under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 6301 et seq.) and does not meet the requirements
described in this section, as of the date of enactment of
this Act, shall, not later than the last day of the fifth
full fiscal year after the date of enactment of this Act
(referred to in this Act as the ``compliance deadline''),
enact legislation or issue regulations establishing the
following minimum requirements:
(1) Local educational agency concussion safety and
management plan.--Each local educational agency in the State,
in consultation with members of the community in which such
agency is located, shall develop and implement a standard
plan for concussion safety and management that--
(A) educates students, parents, and school personnel about
concussions, through activities such as--
(i) training school personnel, including coaches, teachers,
athletic trainers, related services personnel, and school
nurses, on concussion safety and management, including
training on the prevention, recognition, and academic
consequences of concussions and response to concussions; and
(ii) using, maintaining, and disseminating to students and
parents--
(I) release forms and other appropriate forms for reporting
and record keeping;
(II) treatment plans; and
(III) prevention and post-injury observation and monitoring
fact sheets about concussion;
(B) encourages supports, where feasible, for a student
recovering from a concussion (regardless of whether or not
the concussion occurred during school-sponsored activities,
during school hours, on school property, or during an
athletic activity), such as--
(i) guiding the student in resuming participation in
athletic activity and academic activities with the help of a
multi-disciplinary concussion management team, which may
include--
(I) a health care professional, the parents of such
student, a school nurse, relevant related services personnel,
and other relevant school personnel; and
(II) an individual who is assigned by a public school to
oversee and manage the recovery of such student;
(ii) providing appropriate academic accommodations aimed at
progressively reintroducing cognitive demands on the student;
and
(iii) if the student's symptoms of concussion persist for a
substantial period of time--
(I) evaluating the student in accordance with section 614
of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C.
1414) to determine whether the student is eligible for
services under part B of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1411 et seq.);
or
(II) evaluating whether the student is eligible for
services under section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
(29 U.S.C. 794); and
(C) encourages the use of best practices designed to
ensure, with respect to concussions, the uniformity of safety
standards, treatment, and management, such as--
(i) disseminating information on concussion safety and
management to the public; and
(ii) applying uniform best practice standards for
concussion safety and management to all students enrolled in
public schools.
(2) Posting of information on concussions.--Each public
elementary school and
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each public secondary school shall post on school grounds, in
a manner that is visible to students and school personnel,
and make publicly available on the school website,
information on concussions that--
(A) is based on peer-reviewed scientific evidence (such as
information made available by the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention);
(B) shall include information on--
(i) the risks posed by sustaining a concussion;
(ii) the actions a student should take in response to
sustaining a concussion, including the notification of school
personnel; and
(iii) the signs and symptoms of a concussion; and
(C) may include information on--
(i) the definition of a concussion;
(ii) the means available to the student to reduce the
incidence or recurrence of a concussion; and
(iii) the effects of a concussion on academic learning and
performance.
(3) Response to concussion.--If an individual designated
from among school personnel for purposes of this Act, one of
whom must be in attendance at every school-sponsored
activity, suspects that a student has sustained a concussion
(regardless of whether or not the concussion occurred during
school-sponsored activities, during school hours, on school
property, or during an athletic activity)--
(A) the student shall be--
(i) immediately removed from participation in a school-
sponsored athletic activity; and
(ii) prohibited from resuming participation in school-
sponsored athletic activities--
(I) on the day the student sustained the concussion; and
(II) until the day the student is capable of resuming such
participation, according to the student's written release, as
described in paragraph (4); and
(B) the designated individual shall report to the parent or
guardian of such student--
(i) any information that the designated school employee is
aware of regarding the date, time, and type of the injury
suffered by such student (regardless of where, when, or how a
concussion may have occurred); and
(ii) any actions taken to treat such student.
(4) Return to athletics.--If a student has sustained a
concussion (regardless of whether or not the concussion
occurred during school-sponsored activities, during school
hours, on school property, or during an athletic activity),
before such student resumes participation in school-sponsored
athletic activities, the school shall receive a written
release from a health care professional, that--
(A) states that the student is capable of resuming
participation in such activities; and
(B) may require the student to follow a plan designed to
aid the student in recovering and resuming participation in
such activities in a manner that--
(i) is coordinated, as appropriate, with periods of
cognitive and physical rest while symptoms of a concussion
persist; and
(ii) reintroduces cognitive and physical demands on such
student on a progressive basis only as such increases in
exertion do not cause the reemergence or worsening of
symptoms of a concussion.
(5) Return to academics.--If a student enrolled in a public
school in the State has sustained a concussion, the
concussion management team (as described under paragraph
(1)(B)(i)) of the school shall consult with and make
recommendations to relevant school personnel and the student
to ensure that the student is receiving the appropriate
academic supports, including--
(A) providing for periods of cognitive rest over the course
of the school day;
(B) providing modified academic assignments;
(C) allowing for gradual reintroduction to cognitive
demands; and
(D) other appropriate academic accommodations or
adjustments.
(b) Noncompliance.--
(1) First year.--If a State described in subsection (a)
fails to comply with subsection (a) by the compliance
deadline, the Secretary of Education shall reduce by 5
percent the amount of funds the State receives under the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
6301 et seq.) for the first fiscal year following the
compliance deadline.
(2) Succeeding years.--If the State fails to so comply by
the last day of any fiscal year following the compliance
deadline, the Secretary of Education shall reduce by 10
percent the amount of funds the State receives under that Act
for the following fiscal year.
(3) Notification of noncompliance.--Prior to reducing any
funds that a State receives under the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.) in
accordance with this subsection, the Secretary of Education
shall provide a written notification of the intended
reduction of funds to the State and to the appropriate
committees of Congress.
SEC. 3. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.
Nothing in this Act shall be construed to affect civil or
criminal liability under Federal or State law.
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Concussion.--The term ``concussion'' means a type of
mild traumatic brain injury that--
(A) is caused by a blow, jolt, or motion to the head or
body that causes the brain to move rapidly in the skull;
(B) disrupts normal brain functioning and alters the mental
state of the individual, causing the individual to
experience--
(i) any period of observed or self-reported--
(I) transient confusion, disorientation, or impaired
consciousness;
(II) dysfunction of memory around the time of injury; or
(III) loss of consciousness lasting less than 30 minutes;
or
(ii) any 1 of 4 types of symptoms, including--
(I) physical symptoms, such as headache, fatigue, or
dizziness;
(II) cognitive symptoms, such as memory disturbance or
slowed thinking;
(III) emotional symptoms, such as irritability or sadness;
or
(IV) difficulty sleeping; and
(C) can occur--
(i) with or without the loss of consciousness; and
(ii) during participation in any organized sport or
recreational activity.
(2) Health care professional.--The term ``health care
professional'' means an individual--
(A) who has been trained in diagnosis and management of
concussion in a pediatric population;
(B) who is registered, licensed, certified, or otherwise
statutorily recognized by the State to provide such diagnosis
and management; and
(C) whose scope of practice and experience includes the
diagnosis and management of traumatic brain injury among a
pediatric population.
(3) Local educational agency; state.--The terms ``local
educational agency'' and ``State'' have the meanings given
such terms in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).
(4) Related services personnel.--The term ``related
services personnel'' means individuals who provide related
services, as defined under section 602 of the Individuals
with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1401).
(5) School-sponsored athletic activity.--The term ``school-
sponsored athletic activity'' means--
(A) any physical education class or program of a school;
(B) any athletic activity authorized during the school day
on school grounds that is not an instructional activity;
(C) any extra-curricular sports team, club, or league
organized by a school on or off school grounds; and
(D) any recess activity.
____________________