Let Parents Raise Their Kids Act of 2004

H.R. 5236, the Let Parents Raise Their Kids Act of 2004, sought to prohibit the use of federal funds for any universal or mandatory mental health screening programs. The bill specifically targeted programs that automatically screen individuals without a prior medical need or those that screen minors without the express, written consent of a parent or guardian. Additionally, it proposed withholding federal education funding from any local agency that treats a parent's refusal to consent to such screenings as a basis for charges of child abuse or educational neglect. This legislation was introduced in 2004 and did not advance past the committee stage.