Texas 2021 - 87th Regular

Texas House Bill HB4509 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1		-	H.B. No. 4509
	1	+	By: Bonnen, et al. (Senate Sponsor - Taylor) H.B. No. 4509
	2	+	(In the Senate - Received from the House May 17, 2021;
	3	+	May 21, 2021, read first time and referred to Committee on
	4	+	Education; May 24, 2021, reported adversely, with favorable
	5	+	Committee Substitute by the following vote: Yeas 9, Nays 0;
	6	+	May 24, 2021, sent to printer.)
	7	+	Click here to see the committee vote
	8	+	COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR H.B. No. 4509 By: Taylor
2	9
3	10
	11	+	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
4	12		AN ACT
5	13		relating to instruction on informed American patriotism in public
6	14		schools.
7	15		BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
8	16		SECTION 1. Section 4.001(b), Education Code, is amended to
9	17		read as follows:
10	18		(b) The objectives of public education are:
11	19		OBJECTIVE 1: Parents will be full partners with educators in
12	20		the education of their children.
13	21		OBJECTIVE 2: Students will be encouraged and challenged to
14	22		meet their full educational potential.
15	23		OBJECTIVE 3: Through enhanced dropout prevention efforts,
16	24		all students will remain in school until they obtain a high school
17	25		diploma.
18	26		OBJECTIVE 4: A well-balanced and appropriate curriculum will
19	27		be provided to all students. Through that curriculum, students
20	28		will be prepared to succeed in a variety of postsecondary
21	29		activities, including employment and enrollment in institutions of
22	30		higher education.
23	31		OBJECTIVE 5: Educators shall cultivate in [will prepare]
24	32		students an informed American patriotism and lead students in a
25	33		close study of the founding documents of the United States and
26	34		Texas. The purpose of this objective is to:
27	35		(1) increase students' knowledge of the deepest and
28	36		noblest purposes of the United States and Texas;
29	37		(2) enhance students' intellectual independence so
30	38		that students may become [be] thoughtful, informed [active]
31	39		citizens who have an appreciation for the fundamental democratic
32	40		principles [basic values] of our state and national heritage; and
33	41		(3) guide students toward understanding [who can
34	42		understand] and productively functioning [function] in a free
35	43		enterprise society.
36	44		OBJECTIVE 6: Qualified and highly effective personnel will
37	45		be recruited, developed, and retained.
38	46		OBJECTIVE 7: The state's students will demonstrate exemplary
39	47		performance in comparison to national and international standards.
40	48		OBJECTIVE 8: School campuses will maintain a safe and
41	49		disciplined environment conducive to student learning.
42	50		OBJECTIVE 9: Educators will keep abreast of the development
43	51		of creative and innovative techniques in instruction and
44	52		administration using those techniques as appropriate to improve
45	53		student learning.
46	54		OBJECTIVE 10: Technology will be implemented and used to
47	55		increase the effectiveness of student learning, instructional
48	56		management, staff development, and administration.
49	57		OBJECTIVE 11: The State Board of Education, the agency, and
50	58		the commissioner shall assist school districts and charter schools
51	59		in providing career and technology education to students.
52	60		SECTION 2. Section 5.001, Education Code, is amended by
53	61		adding Subdivision (10) to read as follows:
54	62		(10) "Informed American patriotism" means a reasoned
55	63		appreciation, gained through the study of historical primary
56	64		sources, of why America has been, is now, and continues to be the
57	65		destination of choice for those around the world who yearn to live
58	66		in freedom. Informed American patriotism is only a conditional
59	67		pledge of devotion that will be maintained only so long as America
60	68		adheres to a republican form of government. If we abandon a
61	69		representative democracy, our pledge of allegiance will be
62	70		withdrawn as is stated in the Pledge of Allegiance, which swears
63	71		devotion to a "republic".
64	72		SECTION 3. Section 28.002, Education Code, is amended by
65	73		amending Subsection (h) and adding Subsections (h-1) and (h-2) to
66	74		read as follows:
67	75		(h) The State Board of Education and each school district
68	76		shall require [foster] the [continuation of the tradition of]
69	77		teaching of informed American patriotism, [United States and] Texas
70	78		history, and the free enterprise system [in regular subject matter
71	79		and in reading courses and] in the adoption of instructional
72	80		materials for kindergarten through grade 12, including the founding
73	81		documents of the United States. A primary purpose of the public
74	82		school curriculum is to prepare thoughtful, informed [active]
75	83		citizens who understand the importance of patriotism and can
76	84		function productively in a free enterprise society with
77	85		appreciation for the fundamental [basic] democratic principles
78	86		[values] of our state and national heritage.
79	87		(h-1) In adopting the essential knowledge and skills for the
80	88		foundation curriculum under Subsection (a)(1), the State Board of
81	89		Education shall, as appropriate, adopt essential knowledge and
82	90		skills that develop each student's civic knowledge, including an
83	91		understanding of:
84	92		(1) the fundamental moral, political, and
85	93		intellectual foundations of the American experiment in
86	94		self-government;
87	95		(2) the history, qualities, traditions, and features
88	96		of civic engagement in the United States;
89	97		(3) the structure, function, and processes of
90	98		government institutions at the federal, state, and local levels;
91	99		and
92	100		(4) the founding documents of the United States,
93	101		including:
94	102		(A) the entirety of the Declaration of
95	103		Independence;
96	104		(B) the entirety of the United States
97	105		Constitution;
98	106		(C) the Federalist Papers, including the
99	107		entirety of Essays 10 and 51;
100	108		(D) excerpts from Alexis de Tocqueville's
101	109		Democracy in America;
102	110		(E) the transcript of the first Lincoln-Douglas
103	111		debate;
104	112		(F) the writings of the founding fathers of the
105	113		United States;
106	114		(G) the entirety of Frederick Douglass's
107		-	speeches "The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro" and "What the
108		-	~~Black~~ Man Wants"; and
	115	+	speeches The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro and What the Black
	116	+	Man Wants; and
109	117		(H) the entirety of Martin Luther King Jr.'s
110		-	speech "I Have a Dream."
	118	+	speech I Have a Dream.
111	119		(h-2) In providing instruction regarding the founding
112	120		documents of the United States as described by Subsection (h-1)(4),
113	121		a school district or open-enrollment charter school shall use those
114	122		documents as part of the instructional materials for the
115	123		instruction.
116	124		SECTION 4. This Act applies beginning with the 2021-2022
117	125		school year.
118	126		SECTION 5. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
119	127		a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
120	128		provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
121	129		Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
122	130		Act takes effect September 1, 2021.
123		-	______________________________ ______________________________
124		-	President of the Senate Speaker of the House
125		-	I certify that H.B. No. 4509 was passed by the House on May
126		-	14, 2021, by the following vote: Yeas 104, Nays 37, 2 present, not
127		-	voting; and that the House concurred in Senate amendments to H.B.
128		-	No. 4509 on May 28, 2021, by the following vote: Yeas 124, Nays 14,
129		-	1 present, not voting.
130		-	______________________________
131		-	Chief Clerk of the House
132		-	I certify that H.B. No. 4509 was passed by the Senate, with
133		-	amendments, on May 26, 2021, by the following vote: Yeas 29, Nays
134		-	2.
135		-	______________________________
136		-	Secretary of the Senate
137		-	APPROVED: __________________
138		-	Date
139		-	__________________
140		-	Governor
	131	+	* * * * *