Congress funds youth sports access and abuse prevention for underserved kids
H.R. 9839 — STRONG Kids Act · Filed by Mike Carey (R-OH) · 1 cosponsor · Introduced Jul 22, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services to establish a competitive grant program that funds national and regional nonprofits and government organizations running youth sports programs. Those grantees then distribute subgrants to local nonprofits and government organizations to improve youth sports access, safety, and health outcomes—including funding for coach training, abuse prevention, accessibility modifications, fee waivers, and programs for underserved youth. Funding is tied to a percentage of IRS penalties collected in 2025, adjusted for inflation through 2037.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core mechanism is a two-tier grant program designed to expand youth sports participation, improve safety standards, and increase access for underserved populations. It is a straightforward public-health and youth-development initiative with no hidden commercial or private-sector carve-outs.
What the text implies
- Funding is contingent on IRS penalty collections from 2025, creating uncertainty if collections fall short; no baseline appropriation backstop is specified.
- The bill requires grantees to follow either the HHS National Youth Sports Strategy OR 'other guidance issued by a governing body of a youth sports league,' potentially allowing private sports organizations to override federal safety standards.
- Subgrant amounts ($10,000–$50,000 per entity) may be insufficient to cover full accessibility modifications or sustained coach-training programs in high-cost regions.
- No explicit enforcement mechanism or penalty is defined for grantees that fail to prioritize youth with limited resources or to implement abuse-prevention protocols.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
The bill expands access to youth sports for underserved populations (low-income, disabled, geographically isolated youth) and mandates abuse prevention, safety training, and health promotion—direct public health and child-safety gains. The funding mechanism (IRS penalty revenue) does not displace other appropriations, and the program includes explicit prioritization of youth with limited resources and mandatory reporting on outcomes.
Who stands to gain
- National and regional nonprofits operating youth sports programs
- Local nonprofits and government organizations providing youth sports
- Adaptive sports programming providers
Named in the bill
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, US Center for SafeSport, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, President's Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition, Internal Revenue Service, Bureau of Labor Statistics
Where it stands
1 cosponsor: 1 Democrats.
- Jul 22, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Jul 22, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on Energy and Commerce and House Committee on Education and Workforce · Congress.gov: “Referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and…”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (9,696 characters) on Aug 12, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-10-20.
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