S-1524 : Still Just a Bill

Real Education for Healthy Youth Act of 2019

This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in coordination with certain HHS components, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Department of Education, to award grants for comprehensive sex education for adolescents. It also awards grants for comprehensive sex education provided by institutions of higher education and for training faculty and staff to teach comprehensive sex education to adolescents. Comprehensive sex education programs may include, among other things, instruction that addresses the physical, mental, emotional, and social dimensions of human sexuality and approaches designed to motivate and assist students to maintain and improve their sexual health, prevent disease and reduce sexual health-related risk behaviors.

Grant funds generally may not be used for specified purposes, including to (1) withhold specified health information related to HIV, (2) provide medically inaccurate information, or (3) promote gender or racial stereotypes.

The bill also

• revises requirements and eliminates prohibitions regarding the content of educational programs funded through the HIV/AIDS prevention program,
• repeals the prohibition on using funds for materials or programs that promote or encourage sexual activity and contraceptive distribution in school, and
• repeals the Abstinence Only Until Marriage program.