H.R. 173·Elementary Beginner
A Bill to Require Indoor Recess Space in Every Elementary School
Rep. Greene (D-MA)
Every elementary school must have an indoor space for recess when it rains.
Sec. 1 — Mandate
Every public elementary school must designate an indoor space for recess during bad weather.
Sec. 2 — Funding
$50 million for gym and multipurpose room upgrades.
Sec. 3 — Enforcement
Department of Education facility inspections.
Sec. 4 — Effective Date
Within 18 months.
Tournament Prep
Mechanical parts, sourced & timed
Use this as your pre-round checklist. Memorize the source citation. Time yourself to the delivery target.
- Bill / Number
- H.R. 173 — A Bill to Require Indoor Recess Space in Every Elementary School
- Funding source
- $50M from ED's school infrastructure grant program.
- Timeline
- 18-month compliance window.
- Realistic — uses existing gyms and multipurpose rooms in most schools.
- Enforcing agency
- Department of Education facility inspections.
- Yes — facilities reviews already part of Title I monitoring.
- Penalty for non-compliance
- Reduced share of facility-modernization grants.
- Source citation
- AAP Council on School Health (2013), 'The Crucial Role of Recess' — pediatrics.aappublications.org.
- Delivery time (read aloud)
- 50s
Strongest counter-argument
Most schools already use gyms for indoor recess — this codifies what's already common.
Your pre-emptive answer
GAO (2021) found 1 in 4 elementary schools cancels recess entirely on bad-weather days. 'Already common' isn't the same as 'guaranteed,' and that gap correlates with low-income districts.