89R12565 JTZ-F
By: Hughes S.B. No. 2098
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to requirements for courses in the core curriculum adopted
by public institutions of higher education.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Subchapter S, Chapter 61, Education Code, is
amended by adding Section 61.8221 to read as follows:
Sec. 61.8221. REQUIREMENTS FOR COURSES IN CORE CURRICULUM.
A course in an institution of higher education's core curriculum
adopted under Section 61.822(b):
(1) may not:
(A) distort a significant historical event;
(B) include an aspect that teaches identity
politics; or
(C) be based on a theory that systemic racism,
sexism, oppression, or privilege is inherent in the institutions of
the United States or this state or was created to maintain social,
political, or economic inequities; and
(2) must impart:
(A) for a communication course, the ability to
communicate effectively, including the ability to write clearly and
engage in public speaking;
(B) for a mathematics course, an understanding of
key mathematical concepts and the application of appropriate
quantitative tools to everyday experience;
(C) for a life and physical science course, the
ability to critically examine and evaluate the principles of the
scientific method and an understanding of biology, life sciences,
anatomy, chemistry, physics, geology, astronomy, or computer
sciences;
(D) for a language course, an ability to speak,
read, and write in a foreign language;
(E) for a literature or philosophy course, an
understanding of the literary or philosophical development of
Western civilization;
(F) for an arts course, an appreciation of and
ability to analyze visual arts, performing arts, music, or film;
(G) for a United States history course, a broad
understanding of the history of the United States and of this state;
(H) for a United States government course, an
understanding of civics, including principles of the founding of
the United States, such as natural rights, liberty, equality,
democracy, separation of powers, checks and balances, federalism,
constitutional self-government, and the structure, function, and
roles of state and local governments; and
(I) for a behavioral and social science course,
an understanding of concepts and principles used in the analysis of
human behavior and of past and present social, political, and
economic issues.
SECTION 2. Section 61.8221, Education Code, as added by
this Act, applies beginning with the 2025-2026 academic year.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
Act takes effect September 1, 2025.