House File 2330 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 2330 BY GRASSLEY , BODEN , GOLDING , HORA , STOLTENBERG , HAYES , KNIFF MCCULLA , FISHER , THOMSON , GUSTAFSON , WHEELER , HOLT , GERHOLD , JOHNSON , OSMUNDSON , STONE , COLLINS , BRADLEY , JENEARY , SHERMAN , M. THOMPSON , GEHLBACH , MOMMSEN , WILLS , WULF , GUSTOFF , and CISNEROS A BILL FOR An Act relating to education, including by modifying provisions 1 related to the social studies instruction provided to 2 students enrolled in grades one through twelve and the 3 educational programs provided by the institutions of higher 4 education under the control of the state board of regents. 5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 6 TLSB 5263YH (7) 90 jda/jh

H.F. 2330 Section 1. Section 256.11, subsections 3 and 4, Code 2024, 1 are amended to read as follows: 2 3. a. The following areas shall be taught in grades 3 one through six: English-language arts, social studies, 4 mathematics, science, health, physical education, traffic 5 safety, music, visual art, and, subject to section 279.80 , 6 age-appropriate and research-based human growth and 7 development. Computer science instruction incorporating 8 the standards established under section 256.7, subsection 9 26 , paragraph “a” , subparagraph (4), shall be offered in 10 at least one grade level commencing with the school year 11 beginning July 1, 2023. The health curriculum shall include 12 the characteristics of communicable diseases. The state board 13 as part of accreditation standards shall adopt curriculum 14 definitions for implementing the elementary program. 15 b. The social studies curriculum shall include instruction 16 related to all of the following: 17 (1) The workings of the federal, state, and local levels of 18 government. 19 (2) The rights and responsibilities of citizens of the 20 United States and the state of Iowa. 21 (3) The history of the secular and religious ideals and 22 institutions of liberty, including political, religious, 23 economic, social, and cultural liberty, in western 24 civilization, the United States, and the state of Iowa, which 25 emphasizes the good, worthwhile, and best achievements of these 26 ideals and institutions of liberty. 27 (4) Exemplary figures in western civilization, the United 28 States, and the state of Iowa who have fought to secure 29 liberty. 30 (5) The cultural heritage of western civilization, the 31 United States, and the state of Iowa. 32 (6) The geography of the United States and the state of 33 Iowa. 34 (7) The history and meaning of the United States flag and 35 -1- LSB 5263YH (7) 90 jda/jh 1/ 15

H.F. 2330 the national anthem. 1 (8) Admirable Americans, including Benjamin Franklin, 2 George Washington, Frederick Douglass, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, 3 and Abraham Lincoln. 4 c. During grades five and six, the instruction provided as 5 part of the social studies curriculum shall incorporate the 6 study of documents that are important to the history of the 7 United States, including all of the following: 8 (1) The Mayflower compact. 9 (2) Common Sense, written by Thomas Paine. 10 (3) The Declaration of Independence. 11 (4) The Articles of Confederation. 12 (5) The Pennsylvania Act for the gradual abolition of 13 slavery. 14 (6) The Virginia statute for religious freedom. 15 (7) The northwest ordinance. 16 (8) The Constitution of the United States. 17 (9) The federalist papers, including federalist number ten 18 and federalist number fifty-one. 19 (10) A transcript of George Washington’s farewell address. 20 (11) Relevant excerpts from Democracy in America written by 21 Alexis de Tocqueville. 22 (12) A transcript of the first debate between Abraham 23 Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas. 24 (13) The Emancipation Proclamation. 25 (14) The writings of the founding fathers. 26 4. a. The following shall be taught in grades seven and 27 eight: English-language arts; social studies; mathematics; 28 science; health; age-appropriate and research-based human 29 growth and development; career exploration and development; 30 physical education; music; and visual art. Computer science 31 instruction incorporating the standards established under 32 section 256.7, subsection 26 , paragraph “a” , subparagraph (4), 33 shall be offered in at least one grade level commencing with 34 the school year beginning July 1, 2023. Career exploration 35 -2- LSB 5263YH (7) 90 jda/jh 2/ 15

H.F. 2330 and development shall be designed so that students are 1 appropriately prepared to create an individual career 2 and academic plan pursuant to section 279.61 , incorporate 3 foundational career and technical education concepts aligned 4 with the six career and technical education service areas as 5 defined in subsection 5 , paragraph “h” , incorporate relevant 6 twenty-first century skills to facilitate career readiness, 7 and introduce students to career opportunities within the 8 local community and across this state. The health curriculum 9 shall include age-appropriate and research-based information 10 regarding the characteristics of sexually transmitted diseases. 11 The state board as part of accreditation standards shall adopt 12 curriculum definitions for implementing the program in grades 13 seven and eight. However, this subsection shall not apply to 14 the teaching of career exploration and development in nonpublic 15 schools. 16 b. (1) The social studies curriculum shall require at 17 least one semester of instruction, or the trimester or quarter 18 equivalent, in each of the following areas: 19 (a) Civics, which shall include instruction related to all 20 of the following: 21 (i) The intellectual sources of the United States’ founding 22 documents. 23 (ii) The political and military narrative of the causes and 24 progress of the American Revolution. 25 (iii) The United States’ founding documents and the 26 original intent of such documents. 27 (iv) The Constitution of the United States, with emphasis on 28 the Bill of Rights, and the Constitution of the State of Iowa. 29 (v) The basic principles of the United States’ republican 30 form of government. 31 (vi) The historical development of the United States’ 32 republican form of government. 33 (vii) The United States’ republican form of government 34 compared with different forms of government including 35 -3- LSB 5263YH (7) 90 jda/jh 3/ 15

H.F. 2330 dictatorship, monarchy, oligarchy, theocracy, communism, and 1 autocracy. 2 (viii) The structure, function, and processes of government 3 institutions at the federal, state, and local levels. 4 (ix) The civic virtues exemplified in the lives of famous 5 Americans. 6 (b) United States history, which shall include instruction 7 related to all of the following: 8 (i) The study of and devotion to the United States’ 9 exceptional and praiseworthy history. 10 (ii) The basic political, diplomatic, and military 11 history of the United States, which shall include the period 12 of discovery, early colonies, the War of Independence, the 13 Civil War, the expansion of the United States to its present 14 boundaries, World War I, World War II, the Cold War, the civil 15 rights movement, and the period of time from the September 11 16 attacks to the present day, which shall incorporate the study 17 of primary source documents. 18 (iii) The basic history of business and technology in the 19 United States, which shall incorporate the study of primary 20 source documents. 21 (iv) The basic history of the religious and secular aspects 22 of the United States’ common culture, which shall incorporate 23 the study of primary source documents. 24 (v) The concept that United States history shall be viewed 25 as factual, not as constructed, shall be viewed as knowable, 26 teachable, and testable, and shall be defined as the creation 27 of a new nation based largely on the universal principles 28 stated in the Declaration of Independence. 29 (c) The history of western civilization, which shall 30 include instruction that constitutes an extended, coherent 31 account of western civilization, from Athens, Jerusalem, and 32 Rome to the present day, to understand the nature of the 33 nation’s ideals and institutions of liberty, how such ideals 34 and institutions of liberty came into existence, and what 35 -4- LSB 5263YH (7) 90 jda/jh 4/ 15

H.F. 2330 actions the nation’s forefathers took to preserve them. 1 (d) Iowa history, to be taught during grade eight, which 2 shall include instruction related to all of the following: 3 (i) The history of the founding of Iowa. 4 (ii) The history of famous Iowans and their involvement in 5 important events in history. 6 (iii) How Iowans have impacted government, policies, 7 issues, and procedures over the years. 8 (iv) The history of the state motto, bird, tree, and rock. 9 (e) Economics, to be taught during grade eight. The 10 economics instruction shall focus on the free enterprise system 11 and its benefits. The economics curriculum shall include 12 instruction related to the failures of economic systems of 13 communist regimes and the difference between capitalist and 14 communist economic systems. 15 (2) The social studies curriculum shall include instruction 16 related to admirable Americans, including Benjamin Franklin, 17 George Washington, Frederick Douglass, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, 18 and Abraham Lincoln. 19 (3) The instruction provided as part of the social studies 20 curriculum shall incorporate the study of documents that are 21 important to the history of the United States, including all 22 of the following: 23 (a) The Mayflower compact. 24 (b) Common Sense, written by Thomas Paine. 25 (c) The Declaration of Independence. 26 (d) The Articles of Confederation. 27 (e) The Pennsylvania Act for the gradual abolition of 28 slavery. 29 (f) The Virginia statute for religious freedom. 30 (g) The northwest ordinance. 31 (h) The Constitution of the United States. 32 (i) The federalist papers, including federalist number ten 33 and federalist number fifty-one. 34 (j) A transcript of George Washington’s farewell address. 35 -5- LSB 5263YH (7) 90 jda/jh 5/ 15

H.F. 2330 (k) Relevant excerpts from Democracy in America written by 1 Alexis de Tocqueville. 2 (l) A transcript of the first debate between Abraham Lincoln 3 and Stephen A. Douglas. 4 (m) The Emancipation Proclamation. 5 (n) The writings of the founding fathers. 6 Sec. 2. Section 256.11, subsection 5, paragraph b, Code 7 2024, is amended to read as follows: 8 b. Five units of the social studies including instruction 9 in voting statutes and procedures, voter registration 10 requirements, the use of paper ballots and voting systems in 11 the election process, and the method of acquiring and casting 12 an absentee ballot . All students shall complete a minimum of 13 one-half unit of United States government , and one unit of 14 civics, two units of United States history , and one unit of 15 western civilization . The social studies curriculum shall not 16 include any advanced placement course that requires action 17 civics. The social studies curriculum shall incorporate the 18 study of documents that are important to the history of the 19 United States, including the Mayflower compact; Common Sense, 20 written by Thomas Paine; the Declaration of Independence; the 21 Articles of Confederation; the Pennsylvania Act for the gradual 22 abolition of slavery; the Virginia statute for religious 23 freedom; the northwest ordinance; the Constitution of the 24 United States; the federalist papers, including federalist 25 number ten and federalist number fifty-one; a transcript of 26 George Washington’s farewell address; relevant excerpts from 27 Democracy in America written by Alexis de Tocqueville; a 28 transcript of the first debate between Abraham Lincoln and 29 Stephen A. Douglas; the Emancipation Proclamation; and the 30 writings of the founding fathers. 31 (1) The one-half unit of United States government shall 32 include the voting procedure as described in this lettered 33 paragraph and section 280.9A and other instruction related 34 to voting statutes and procedures, voter registration 35 -6- LSB 5263YH (7) 90 jda/jh 6/ 15

H.F. 2330 requirements, the use of paper ballots and voting systems in 1 the election process, and the method of acquiring and casting 2 an absentee ballot . The government instruction shall also 3 include a study of the Constitution of the United States 4 and the Bill of Rights contained in the Constitution and an 5 assessment of a student’s knowledge of the Constitution and the 6 Bill of Rights. 7 (2) The one unit of civics shall include a culminating 8 civic literacy examination that was not developed by the 9 school district or accredited nonpublic school or the teacher 10 providing the civics instruction. The examination shall 11 include an assessment of the student’s knowledge of United 12 States government and United States history, shall provide a 13 means of assessing civics instruction in grades nine through 14 twelve, and shall provide information that colleges and 15 universities may use to determine if incoming students possess 16 sufficient civic literacy. The one unit of civics shall not 17 include any requirements related to political activism, service 18 learning, civic engagement, action civics, or any cognate 19 activity. The one unit of civics shall include instruction 20 related to all of the following: 21 (a) The intellectual sources of the United States’ 22 founding documents, including documents that illustrate the 23 Greek, Hebrew, and Roman exemplars of liberty and republican 24 government; the Christian synthesis of Greek, Hebrew, and Roman 25 thought that emphasized the equal dignity of all individual 26 humans in the eyes of God; the medieval English inheritance 27 of common law, jury, local self-government, liberty, and 28 representative government; the early modern English inheritance 29 of Christian liberty, republicanism, the militia, accountable 30 government, mixed government, parliamentary sovereignty, 31 freedom of the press, and the English bill of rights and 32 toleration Act; the colonial American inheritance of Christian 33 liberty, self-government, and local government; and the 34 enlightenment theories of John Locke, Montesquieu, Adam Smith, 35 -7- LSB 5263YH (7) 90 jda/jh 7/ 15

H.F. 2330 and their contemporaries that universalized the European 1 traditions of liberty. 2 (b) The political and military narrative of the causes and 3 progress of the American revolution. 4 (c) The original intent of the documents described in 5 unnumbered paragraph 1. 6 (d) The Constitution of the United States, with an emphasis 7 on the Bill of Rights contained in the Constitution, and the 8 Constitution of the State of Iowa. 9 (e) The basic principles of the United States’ republican 10 form of government and the institutions and principles to 11 preserve liberty and prevent misuse of government power, 12 including balance of power; consent of the governed; the 13 electoral college; federalism and the division of powers 14 between the federal government and the states; individual 15 liberties; rights of life, liberty, and property; popular 16 sovereignty; religious freedom; an educated citizenry; 17 representative government; civilian control of the military; 18 rule of law; control of faction; checks and balances; and 19 separation of powers among the executive, the legislature, and 20 the judiciary. 21 (f) The historical development of the United States’ 22 republican form of government, including the federalist and 23 antifederalist debates; the rise and role of political parties; 24 the rise of Jacksonian democracy; the expansion of the ideals 25 and institutions of liberty and republican self-government 26 to include all Americans, regardless of sex or race; the 27 causes and the constitutional consequences of the Civil War; 28 the thirteenth amendment, fourteenth amendment, fifteenth 29 amendment, and the nineteenth amendment; the rise of the new 30 deal administrative state; and United States Supreme Court 31 cases, including Marbury v. Madison, McCulloch v. Maryland, 32 Dred Scott v. Sandford, Pembina consolidated silver mining co. 33 v. Pennsylvania, Plessy v. Ferguson, and Brown v. Board of 34 Education. 35 -8- LSB 5263YH (7) 90 jda/jh 8/ 15

H.F. 2330 (g) The United States’ republican form of government 1 compared with different forms of government including 2 dictatorship, monarchy, oligarchy, theocracy, communism, and 3 autocracy. 4 (h) The structure, function, and processes of governmental 5 institutions at the federal, state, and local levels. 6 (i) Civic virtues exemplified in the lives of famous 7 Americans, including George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, 8 Alexander Hamilton, Abigail Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Andrew 9 Jackson, Frederick Douglass, Susan B. Anthony, Abraham Lincoln, 10 Ulysses S. Grant, Ely Parker, Thomas Edison, Andrew Carnegie, 11 Walter Reed, Theodore Roosevelt, Charles Curtis, Will Rogers, 12 Jim Thorpe, Jackie Robinson, George Marshall, Martin Luther 13 King, Jr., Richard Feynman, Neil Armstrong, and Ronald Reagan. 14 (3) The two units of United States history shall include an 15 assessment of the student’s knowledge of important historical 16 documents, including the Declaration of Independence, 17 the Constitution of the United States, the Emancipation 18 Proclamation, and excerpts from the federalist papers. One 19 unit of United States history shall focus on the period 20 of time beginning when the Mayflower landed on Cape Cod to 21 the conclusion of the Civil War. The other unit of United 22 States history shall focus on the period of time beginning 23 at the conclusion of the Civil War to the present day, which 24 unit shall include instruction related to the Holocaust and 25 crimes against humanity that have occurred under communist 26 regimes. The two units of United States history shall include 27 significant material related to the War of Independence and 28 the creation of the Constitution of the United States. The 29 two units of United States history shall be designed to 30 include significant biographical material related to exemplary 31 Americans to provide both the nation’s shared constitutional 32 history and historical context. The two units of United 33 States history shall include instruction related to all of the 34 following: 35 -9- LSB 5263YH (7) 90 jda/jh 9/ 15

H.F. 2330 (a) The United States’ exceptional and praiseworthy 1 history. 2 (b) The basic political, diplomatic, and military history 3 of the United States, which shall include the period of 4 discovery, early colonies, the War of Independence, the 5 Civil War, the expansion of the United States to its present 6 boundaries, World War I, World War II, the Cold War, the civil 7 rights movement, and the period of time from the September 11 8 attacks to the present day, which shall incorporate the study 9 of primary source documents. 10 (c) The basic history of business and technology in the 11 United States, which shall incorporate the study of primary 12 source documents. 13 (d) The basic history of the religious and secular aspects 14 of the United States’ common culture, which shall incorporate 15 the study of primary source documents. 16 (e) The concept that United States history shall be viewed 17 as factual, not as constructed, shall be viewed as knowable, 18 teachable, and testable, and shall be defined as the creation 19 of a new nation based largely on the universal principles 20 stated in the Declaration of Independence. 21 (4) The one unit of western civilization shall include 22 instruction related to all of the following: 23 (a) Western civilization’s exceptional and praiseworthy 24 history. 25 (b) The basic political outline of western civilization, 26 which shall include the history of ancient Israel, the free 27 Greek city states, the Roman republic, the Roman empire, the 28 Carolingian empire, the medieval Papacy, medieval England, 29 absolutist France, parliamentary England, the Napoleonic 30 wars, World War I, World War II, the communist and fascist 31 challenges to the European order, and the survival and triumph 32 of political and economic liberty, which shall incorporate the 33 study of primary source documents. 34 (c) The basic intellectual history of western civilization, 35 -10- LSB 5263YH (7) 90 jda/jh 10/ 15

H.F. 2330 which shall include its Greek, Hebrew, and Roman sources; 1 the Christian synthesis of those Greek, Hebrew, and Roman 2 sources that emphasized the equal dignity of all individual 3 humans in the eyes of God; the renaissance rediscovery of 4 republican liberty; the reformation; the medieval and early 5 modern English ideals and institutions of common law, jury, 6 the militia, local self-government, political and religious 7 liberty, representative government, accountable government, 8 and parliamentary sovereignty; the scientific revolution; 9 the enlightenment ideals of political and economic liberty; 10 the nineteenth-century formulation of the scientific and 11 humanist disciplines; the emergence of modern conservatism and 12 liberalism; and the challenges to liberty of socialism and 13 fascism, which shall incorporate the study of primary source 14 documents. 15 (d) The basic history of science and technology in western 16 civilization, which shall emphasize Europe’s unique role as the 17 matrix of the modern scientific and industrial world, which 18 shall incorporate the study of primary source documents. 19 (e) The basic economic history of western civilization, 20 which shall emphasize Europe’s unique role as the matrix of 21 modern mass prosperity, which emerged from the interplay 22 of the ideals and institutions of economic liberty, secure 23 property rights, entrepreneurial innovation, and the industrial 24 revolution, which shall incorporate the study of primary source 25 documents. 26 (f) The basic history of the religious and secular aspects 27 of western civilization’s cultures, which shall emphasize the 28 protective aspects of liberty and incorporate the study of 29 primary source documents. 30 (g) The basic history of the fruitful and enduring 31 attachment of western civilization’s free peoples to their 32 nations and faiths, which shall incorporate the study of 33 primary source documents. 34 (h) The concept that western civilization’s history shall 35 -11- LSB 5263YH (7) 90 jda/jh 11/ 15

H.F. 2330 be viewed as factual, not as constructed, shall be viewed as 1 knowable, teachable, and testable, and shall be defined as the 2 creation of a civilization based largely on the ideals and 3 institutions of liberty. 4 Sec. 3. Section 256E.7, subsection 2, paragraph g, Code 5 2024, is amended to read as follows: 6 g. Be subject to and comply with the requirements of section 7 256.7, subsection 21 , and the educational standards of section 8 256.11 , unless specifically waived by the state board during 9 the application process ; provided, however, that the state 10 board shall not waive the educational standards related to 11 social studies instruction established in section 256.11, 12 subsections 3 and 4, and in section 256.11, subsection 5, 13 paragraph “b” . 14 Sec. 4. Section 256F.4, subsection 2, Code 2024, is amended 15 by adding the following new paragraph: 16 NEW PARAGRAPH . p. Be subject to and comply with the 17 requirements of section 256.11, subsections 3 and 4, and 18 section 256.11, subsection 5, paragraph “b” , relating to 19 educational standards related to social studies instruction in 20 the same manner as a school district. 21 Sec. 5. Section 262.9, Code 2024, is amended by adding the 22 following new subsections: 23 NEW SUBSECTION . 39. a. (1) Direct the institutions of 24 higher education under its control to adopt policies that 25 require all students admitted to the baccalaureate degree 26 program provided by the institution to take a civic literacy 27 examination. 28 (2) Subparagraph (1) shall not apply to a student who has 29 taken and passed the civic literacy examination described in 30 section 256.11, subsection 5, paragraph “b” , subparagraph (2). 31 b. If a student does not pass the civic literacy examination 32 described in paragraph “a” , the institution shall require 33 the student to take a remedial civics course. The remedial 34 civics course shall include a culminating civic literacy 35 -12- LSB 5263YH (7) 90 jda/jh 12/ 15

H.F. 2330 examination. The remedial civics course shall not contain any 1 requirements related to political activism, service learning, 2 civic engagement, action civics, or any cognate activity. 3 c. If a student does not pass the civic literacy examination 4 described in paragraph “b” , the student shall be allowed to 5 retake the examination as many times as is necessary for the 6 student to pass the examination; provided, however, that the 7 student shall not be allowed to graduate from the institution, 8 or progress to more advanced civics courses, until the student 9 passes the examination. 10 NEW SUBSECTION . 40. Prohibit the institutions of higher 11 education under its control from awarding students any semester 12 hours of credit for courses that require action civics or 13 political activism. 14 Sec. 6. IMPLEMENTATION OF ACT. Section 25B.2, subsection 15 3, shall not apply to this Act. 16 Sec. 7. NO IMPACT ON GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS. The section 17 of this Act amending section 256.11, subsection 5, paragraph 18 “b”, shall not affect the graduation requirements applicable 19 to a student enrolled in grades nine through twelve as of the 20 effective date of this Act. 21 EXPLANATION 22 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 23 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 24 This bill relates to education by modifying provisions 25 related to the social studies instruction provided to students 26 enrolled in grades 1 through 12 and the educational programs 27 provided by the institutions of higher education under the 28 control of the state board of regents. 29 The bill provides that the social studies curriculum 30 provided to students enrolled in grades one through six 31 in school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, charter 32 schools, and innovation zone schools shall include instruction 33 related to the workings of the federal, state, and local levels 34 of government; the rights and responsibilities of citizens 35 -13- LSB 5263YH (7) 90 jda/jh 13/ 15

H.F. 2330 of the United States and the state of Iowa; the history of 1 the secular and religious ideals and institutions of liberty; 2 exemplary figures in western civilization, the United States, 3 and the state of Iowa; the cultural heritage of western 4 civilization, the United States, and the state of Iowa; the 5 geography of the United States and the state of Iowa; the 6 history and meaning of the United States flag and the national 7 anthem, and certain specified admirable Americans. 8 The bill makes similar changes to the social studies 9 curriculum provided to students enrolled in grades 7 through 10 12, but adds instructional requirements related to the study 11 of prominent persons and prominent writings. The bill also 12 provides that the social studies curriculum provided in 13 grades seven and eight is to include at least one semester of 14 instruction, or the trimester or quarter equivalent, in civics, 15 United States history, the history of western civilization, 16 Iowa history, and economics. The bill establishes what such 17 instruction is to include. 18 Current law requires school districts, accredited nonpublic 19 schools, and charter schools to offer and teach five units 20 of social studies in grades 9 through 12, which includes a 21 minimum of one-half unit of United States government and 22 one unit of United States history. The bill requires all 23 students to complete a minimum of one-half unit of United 24 States government, one unit of civics, two units of United 25 States history, and one unit of western civilization. The 26 bill establishes prohibitions and requirements related to this 27 instruction, including required examinations and topics of 28 instruction and prohibitions related to including forms of 29 political activism in civics instruction. The bill provides 30 that the social studies curriculum is required to incorporate 31 the study of certain specified documents that are important 32 to the history of the United States. The bill provides that 33 these changes shall not affect the graduation requirements 34 applicable to a student enrolled in grades 9 through 12 as of 35 -14- LSB 5263YH (7) 90 jda/jh 14/ 15

H.F. 2330 the effective date of the bill. 1 The bill requires the state board of regents to direct 2 the institutions of higher education under its control to 3 adopt policies that require all students admitted to the 4 baccalaureate degree program provided by the institution to 5 take a civic literacy examination. The bill provides that, 6 if a student does not pass the examination, the institution 7 shall require the student to take a remedial civics course 8 that contains a culminating civic literacy examination. If 9 the student fails to pass this examination as well, the bill 10 provides that the student may retake the examination, but the 11 student will not be allowed to graduate from the institution, 12 or progress to more advanced civics courses, until the student 13 passes the examination. 14 The bill requires the state board of regents to prohibit 15 the institutions of higher education under its control from 16 awarding students any semester hours of credit for courses that 17 require action civics or political activism. 18 The bill may include a state mandate as defined in Code 19 section 25B.3. The bill makes inapplicable Code section 20 25B.2, subsection 3, which would relieve a school district 21 from complying with a state mandate if funding for the cost of 22 the state mandate is not provided or specified. Therefore, 23 school districts are required to comply with any state mandate 24 included in the bill. 25 -15- LSB 5263YH (7) 90 jda/jh 15/ 15