SLS 15RS-935 ORIGINAL
2015 Regular Session
SENATE BILL NO. 283(Substitute of Senate Bill No. 34 by Senator Cortez)
BY SENATOR CORTEZ
CURRICULA. Provides relative to the content of certain Civics courses. (gov sig)
1 AN ACT
2 To enact R.S. 17:274.1(D), relative to required courses of study; to provide relative to the
3 course content and curriculum for certain Civics and civics-related courses; to
4 provide relative to a survey of student knowledge of the history, principles, and form
5 of the United States government; and to provide for related matters.
6 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
7 Section 1. R.S. 17:274.1(D) is hereby enacted to read as follows:
8 ยง274.1. Civics and Free Enterprise; required; exceptions
9 * * *
10 D.(1) The legislature, in recognition of the national Civics Education
11 Initiative's efforts to ensure that every citizen can, at a minimum, demonstrate
12 the same knowledge and understanding of the fundamentals of the history,
13 principles, and form of the United States government required of naturalized
14 citizens, hereby provides for the Louisiana Civics Education Initiative.
15 (2)(a) Beginning with the 2016-2017 school year:
16 (i) The curriculum for Civics, and courses permitted to substitute for
17 Civics, shall contain a unit of study that includes civics-related subject matter
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Coding: Words which are struck through are deletions from existing law;
words in boldface type and underscored are additions. SB NO. 283
SLS 15RS-935 ORIGINAL
1 knowledge naturalized citizens are required to demonstrate.
2 (ii) As a means to inform civics-related curricula and instruction, every
3 student enrolled in Civics, or a course permitted to substitute for Civics, shall
4 be administered a test based upon the civics portion of the naturalization test
5 used by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services to survey their
6 knowledge of the fundamentals of the history, principles, and form of the United
7 States government.
8 (b) The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education shall
9 promulgate rules and regulations to implement the provisions of this
10 Subsection.
11 Section 2. This Act shall become effective upon signature by the governor or, if not
12 signed by the governor, upon expiration of the time for bills to become law without signature
13 by the governor, as provided by Article III, Section 18 of the Constitution of Louisiana. If
14 vetoed by the governor and subsequently approved by the legislature, this Act shall become
15 effective on the day following such approval.
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Jeanne C. Johnston.
DIGEST
SB 283 Original 2015 Regular Session Cortez
Present law, as a prerequisite to high school graduation, requires students to complete two
semesters of instruction in Civics, including a section on Free Enterprise, equal to one unit
of credit.
Present law provides that for students who enter the ninth grade on or after July 1, 2014,
Government, AP US Government and Politics: Comparative, or AP US Government and
Politics: United States may be substituted for Civics and shall satisfy the Civics and Free
Enterprise instruction required by present law.
Proposed law retains present law and additionally provides for the Louisiana Civics
Education Initiative as follows:
(1)Beginning with the 2016-2017 school year:
(a)The curriculum for Civics, and courses permitted to substitute for Civics,
must contain a unit of study that includes civics-related subject matter
knowledge naturalized citizens are required to demonstrate.
(b) As a means to inform civics-related curricula and instruction, every student
enrolled in Civics, or a course permitted to substitute for Civics, shall be
administered a test based upon the civics portion of the naturalization test
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Coding: Words which are struck through are deletions from existing law;
words in boldface type and underscored are additions. SB NO. 283
SLS 15RS-935 ORIGINAL
used by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services to survey
their knowledge of the fundamentals of the history, principles, and form of
the United States government.
(2)Requires the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to promulgate rules and
regulations to implement the provisions of proposed law.
Effective upon signature of the governor or lapse of time for gubernatorial action.
(Adds R.S. 17:274.1(D))
Page 3 of 3
Coding: Words which are struck through are deletions from existing law;
words in boldface type and underscored are additions.