[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1387 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1387
To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to increase
civics education programs, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 7, 2023
Mr. Cleaver (for himself, Mr. Bowman, Ms. Brown, Ms. Bush, Mr. Carson,
Mr. Casten, Mr. Cicilline, Mr. DeSaulnier, Mrs. Dingell, Mr. Espaillat,
Mr. Gottheimer, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Mr. Ivey, Ms. Kelly of
Illinois, Mr. Kildee, Mr. Krishnamoorthi, Ms. Kuster, Mr. Larson of
Connecticut, Mr. Lynch, Ms. McCollum, Ms. Meng, Ms. Moore of Wisconsin,
Mr. Moskowitz, Mr. Mullin, Mr. Nadler, Ms. Norton, Mr. Raskin, Ms.
Ross, Ms. Sanchez, Ms. Scanlon, Ms. Sewell, Mr. Thompson of
Mississippi, Ms. Titus, Mr. Tonko, Ms. Velazquez, Mrs. Watson Coleman,
Ms. Williams of Georgia, Ms. Wilson of Florida, and Ms. Castor of
Florida) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Education and the Workforce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to increase
civics education programs, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Civics Learning Act of 2023''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) The dearth of civics lessons available to students
across the United States has helped to foster a political
climate that is deeply partisan and divided.
(2) Polarization in the United States has fractured public
morale in our democratic institutions and has created an
environment in which people are less likely to be well-informed
on the processes of our constitutional republic, the current
state of affairs, and the importance of participating in the
political process.
(3) It is impossible to tell the true, full history of this
Nation and recognize the power of our representative democracy
without discussing the painful and powerful history of the
civil rights movement. It is incumbent on Congress to ensure
the full history of our great Nation is being taught to the
next generation of leaders.
(4) According to the Annenberg Constitution Day Civics
Survey conducted by the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the
University of Pennsylvania, in 2022--
(A) only 47 percent of people in the United States
surveyed were capable of naming all 3 branches of
government, while 25 percent of Americans were not able
to name any of the branches of government;
(B) less than half of Americans (46 percent)
correctly stated that the Supreme Court has the final
responsibility for determining the constitutionality of
laws if the President and Supreme Court disagree; and
(C) 26 percent could not name any of the rights
guaranteed under the First Amendment.
(5) In 2018, only 24 percent of eighth graders were found
to have performed at or above the proficient level on the
National Assessment of Educational Progress civics exam
conducted by the National Center of Education Studies.
(6) A lack of knowledge regarding the structural basics of
our constitutional republic and the history of our struggle for
suffrage and civil rights creates an increasingly ill-equipped
electorate which over time, can, and will continue to,
contribute to a weakened democracy.
SEC. 3. AMENDMENTS TO THE ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION ACT OF
1965.
Section 2233 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965
(20 U.S.C. 6663) is amended--
(1) in subsection (a)--
(A) by inserting ``and prioritize innovative civics
learning and teaching, including by encouraging'' after
``to encourage''; and
(B) by inserting ``(including students and teachers
at high-need schools (as defined in section 2221))''
before the period;
(2) in subsection (b)--
(A) by inserting ``and appropriated under
subsection (h) of this section'' after ``2231(b)(2)'';
and
(B) by striking paragraph (2) and inserting the
following:
``(2) may include--
``(A) hands-on civic engagement activities for
teachers and students;
``(B) activities about the history and principle of
the Constitution of the United States, including the
Bill of Rights, women's suffrage, and the civil rights
movement;
``(C) before-school, during-school, after-school,
and extracurricular activities;
``(D) activities that include service learning and
community service projects that are linked to school
curriculum;
``(E) activities that encourage and support student
participation in school governance; and
``(F) online and video game based learning.'';
(3) in subsection (c), by striking paragraph (3) and
inserting the following:
``(3) Diversity of projects.--
``(A) Diversity of grants.--In awarding grants
under this section, the Secretary shall ensure that, to
the extent practicable, grants are distributed among
eligible entities that will serve geographically
diverse areas, including urban, suburban, and rural
areas, and public elementary schools.
``(B) Allocation of grant funding.--To the extent
practicable based on the applications received under
subsection (d), the Secretary shall ensure that--
``(i) not less than 30 percent of the grant
funds under this section are awarded to
eligible entities that serve elementary school
students and teachers;
``(ii) not less than 30 percent of the
grant funds under this section are awarded to
eligible entities that serve middle school
students and teachers; and
``(iii) not more than 40 percent of the
grant funds under this section are awarded to
eligible entities that serve high school
students and teachers.'';
(4) in subsection (d), by inserting ``, and containing such
information,'' after ``manner''; and
(5) by adding at the end the following:
``(f) Grant Award Preference.--In awarding grants under this
section, the Secretary shall give preference to applications for
programs that carry out the activities listed in subsection (b)(2) for
the purpose of strengthening civics education and learning.
``(g) Annual Report.--Not later than 90 days after the end of each
fiscal year, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Education
and the Workforce of the House of Representatives and the Committee on
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate a report
containing--
``(1) a description of each eligible entity awarded a grant
under this section during the preceding fiscal year;
``(2) a description of whether each such eligible entity
was able to meet each of the purposes under subsection (a), and
if so, how such eligible entity was able to meet such purposes;
and
``(3) any recommendations for continuation of the grant
program under this section.
``(h) Authorization of Appropriations.--In addition to the amounts
reserved under section 2231(b)(2), there are authorized to be
appropriated $70,000,000 to carry out this section for fiscal year
2024.''.
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