| 1 | 1 | | By: Campbell, et al. S.B. No. 164 |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 5 | 5 | | AN ACT |
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| 6 | 6 | | relating to the display of the national motto and the founding |
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| 7 | 7 | | documents of the United States in public schools and the inclusion |
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| 8 | 8 | | of an elective course on the founding principles of the United |
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| 9 | 9 | | States in the curriculum for public high school students. |
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| 10 | 10 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 11 | 11 | | SECTION 1. Section 1.004, Education Code, is amended to |
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| 12 | 12 | | read as follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | Sec. 1.004. DISPLAY OF NATIONAL MOTTO AND FOUNDING |
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| 14 | 14 | | DOCUMENTS. (a) A public elementary or secondary school [or an |
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| 15 | 15 | | institution of higher education as defined by Section 61.003] must |
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| 16 | 16 | | display in a conspicuous place in each building of the school [or |
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| 17 | 17 | | institution] a durable poster or framed copy of the United States |
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| 18 | 18 | | national motto, "In God We Trust," and the founding documents of the |
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| 19 | 19 | | United States if the poster or framed copy meets the requirements of |
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| 20 | 20 | | Subsection (b) and is: |
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| 21 | 21 | | (1) donated for display at the school [or |
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| 22 | 22 | | institution]; or |
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| 23 | 23 | | (2) purchased from private donations and made |
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| 24 | 24 | | available to the school [or institution]. |
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| 25 | 25 | | (a-1) In this section, "founding documents of the United |
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| 26 | 26 | | States" means: |
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| 27 | 27 | | (1) the United States Declaration of Independence; |
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| 28 | 28 | | (2) the United States Constitution; and |
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| 29 | 29 | | (3) Essays 10 and 57 of the Federalist Papers. |
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| 30 | 30 | | (b) A poster or framed copy [of the national motto] |
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| 31 | 31 | | described by Subsection (a): |
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| 32 | 32 | | (1) must contain: |
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| 33 | 33 | | (A) the national motto, a representation of the |
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| 34 | 34 | | United States flag centered under the national motto, and a |
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| 35 | 35 | | representation of the state flag; |
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| 36 | 36 | | (B) one or more of the founding documents of the |
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| 37 | 37 | | United States; or |
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| 38 | 38 | | (C) both the items described by Paragraph (A) and |
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| 39 | 39 | | one or more items described by Paragraph (B); and |
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| 40 | 40 | | (2) may not depict any words, images, or other |
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| 41 | 41 | | information other than the items [representations] listed in |
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| 42 | 42 | | Subdivision (1). |
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| 43 | 43 | | (c) A public elementary or secondary school [and an |
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| 44 | 44 | | institution of higher education] may accept and use private |
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| 45 | 45 | | donations for the purposes of Subsection (a). |
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| 46 | 46 | | SECTION 2. Subchapter A, Chapter 28, Education Code, is |
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| 47 | 47 | | amended by adding Section 28.0111 to read as follows: |
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| 48 | 48 | | Sec. 28.0111. FOUNDING PRINCIPLES ELECTIVE. (a) Each |
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| 49 | 49 | | school district and open-enrollment charter school that offers a |
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| 50 | 50 | | high school program shall provide an elective course on the |
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| 51 | 51 | | founding principles of the United States that meets the |
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| 52 | 52 | | requirements for a one-half elective credit under Section 28.025. |
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| 53 | 53 | | (b) The course must focus on the principles underlying the |
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| 54 | 54 | | United States form of government, the Declaration of Independence, |
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| 55 | 55 | | the United States Constitution, the Federalist Papers, and the |
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| 56 | 56 | | writings of the founding fathers of the United States. |
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| 57 | 57 | | SECTION 3. Section 28.0111, Education Code, as added by |
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| 58 | 58 | | this Act, applies beginning with the 2024-2025 school year. |
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| 59 | 59 | | SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 60 | 60 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 61 | 61 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 62 | 62 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 63 | 63 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |
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