Restoring Biological Truth in Government Act
- Bill Number
- H.R. 4138
- Origin Chamber
- House
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 1
- Policy Area
- Government Operations and Politics
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2025-06-25: Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
- Last Updated
- 2025-07-18T16:02:50Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose This legislation aims to restrict how executive agencies collect information on sex and gender by barring questions about gender identity and limiting responses to male or female options on forms and surveys.
Key Provisions
- Prohibition on gender identity questions: Executive agencies may not solicit or obtain information about an individual's gender identity on any form or survey.
- Binary response requirement: Agencies must provide only "male" and "female" as options for questions about sex or gender and may not allow other selections.
- Rejection of non-compliant submissions: Agencies must reject forms or surveys that include responses other than male or female to required sex or gender questions.
- OMB guidance: The Director of the Office of Management and Budget must issue implementation guidance within 180 days of enactment.
- Definitions: The bill defines "sex" as the biological determination of male or female, "gender" as a synonym for sex, "male" and "female" based on reproductive systems, and explicitly distinguishes these from "gender identity."
Significant Changes to Existing Law The bill introduces new statutory restrictions on federal data collection practices. It requires agencies to eliminate options beyond male and female and prohibits gender identity inquiries, overriding any prior agency policies or forms that permitted additional categories or such questions.
Potential Impacts
- Government agencies: Executive agencies, including departments, independent agencies, and the Executive Office of the President, must revise forms, surveys, and data systems to comply, with oversight from the Office of Management and Budget.
- Citizens: Individuals completing federal forms or surveys will be limited to binary male/female responses for sex or gender questions and cannot provide gender identity information.
- International relations: The legislation does not address international matters.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- Heads of executive agencies and federal employees responsible for forms and surveys.
- The Office of Management and Budget.
- U.S. citizens and residents who interact with government forms (such as for benefits, employment, or statistical purposes).
- Government corporations and military departments.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications The bill establishes specific biological definitions for sex, gender, male, and female in federal statute, which could affect how agencies interpret and apply these terms in data collection. It creates a uniform federal standard that may interact with existing laws on privacy, equal protection, or administrative procedures, though the text itself does not address constitutional issues.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Cosponsors (1)
Recent Actions
- 2025-06-25: Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
- 2025-06-25: Introduced in House
- 2025-06-25: Introduced in House
Bill Versions
- Restoring Biological Truth in Government Act — issued 2025-06-25 — PDF (4 pages)