House File 402 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 402 BY COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION (SUCCESSOR TO HSB 56) A BILL FOR An Act establishing completion of a course on American history 1 and civil government as a requirement for the completion of 2 a baccalaureate degree program at a public institution of 3 higher education. 4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 5 TLSB 1205HV (1) 91 je/jh

H.F. 402 Section 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act shall be known and may be 1 cited as the “Increasing Civics Proficiency in Higher Education 2 Act”. 3 Sec. 2. NEW SECTION . 261K.1 Definitions. 4 As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise 5 requires: 6 1. “Basic principles of the United States’ republican form 7 of government” means institutions and principles to preserve 8 liberty and prevent misuse of government power, including 9 balance of power; consent of the governed; the electoral 10 college; federalism and the division of powers between the 11 federal government and the states; individual liberties; rights 12 of life, liberty, and property; popular sovereignty; religious 13 freedom; an educated citizenry; representative government; 14 civilian control of the military; rule of law; control of 15 faction; checks and balances; and separation of powers among 16 the executive, the legislature, and the judiciary. 17 2. “Founding documents” means texts including the 18 Mayflower compact; Common Sense, written by Thomas Paine; the 19 Declaration of Independence; the Articles of Confederation; 20 the Pennsylvania Act for the gradual abolition of slavery; 21 the Virginia statute for religious freedom; the northwest 22 ordinance; the Constitution of the United States; the 23 federalist papers, including federalist number ten and 24 federalist number fifty-one; a transcript of George 25 Washington’s farewell address; relevant excerpts from Democracy 26 in America written by Alexis de Tocqueville; a transcript 27 of the first debate between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. 28 Douglas; the Emancipation Proclamation; and the writings of the 29 founding fathers of the United States. 30 3. “Historical development of the United States’ republican 31 form of government” means events including the federalist and 32 antifederalist debates; the rise and role of political parties; 33 the rise of Jacksonian democracy; the expansion of the ideals 34 and institutions of liberty and republican self-government 35 -1- LSB 1205HV (1) 91 je/jh 1/ 4

H.F. 402 to include all Americans, regardless of sex or race; the 1 causes and the constitutional consequences of the Civil War; 2 the thirteenth amendment, fourteenth amendment, fifteenth 3 amendment, and the nineteenth amendment to the Constitution 4 of the United States; the rise of the new deal administrative 5 state; and United States supreme court cases, including Marbury 6 v. Madison, McCulloch v. Maryland, Dred Scott v. Sandford, 7 Pembina consolidated silver mining co. v. Pennsylvania, Plessy 8 v. Ferguson, and Brown v. Board of Education. 9 4. “Public institution of higher education” means either of 10 the following: 11 a. An institution of higher learning governed by the state 12 board of regents. 13 b. A community college with respect to any baccalaureate 14 degree program offered by the community college and to any 15 student enrolled in such a program. 16 Sec. 3. NEW SECTION . 261K.2 American history and civil 17 government course required. 18 Beginning with the academic year commencing in 2027, a 19 public institution of higher education shall establish as a 20 requirement for the completion of any baccalaureate degree 21 program that a student complete a survey course in American 22 history and civil government as provided in this chapter. 23 Sec. 4. NEW SECTION . 261K.3 Course content. 24 1. The course shall instruct students in subjects including 25 but not limited to the following: 26 a. The study of and devotion to American institutions and 27 ideals. 28 b. The basic principles of the United States’ republican 29 form of government. 30 c. The historical development of the United States’ 31 republican form of government. 32 d. Comparison of the United States’ republican form of 33 government with different forms of government including 34 dictatorship, monarchy, oligarchy, theocracy, communism, and 35 -2- LSB 1205HV (1) 91 je/jh 2/ 4

H.F. 402 autocracy. 1 e. An understanding of the Constitution of the United States 2 and the Constitution of the State of Iowa. 3 f. Knowledge of the founding documents and how they have 4 shaped the nature and functions of American institutions of 5 self-governance. 6 g. An understanding of landmark cases of the United States 7 supreme court and their effects on law and society. 8 2. The course shall require students to read documents 9 including but not limited to the following: 10 a. The Constitution of the United States. 11 b. The Declaration of Independence. 12 c. The Declaration of Rights of the Women of the United 13 States. 14 d. The Emancipation Proclamation. 15 e. At least five essays from the federalist papers, as 16 determined by the instructor. 17 f. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s letter from Birmingham jail. 18 g. The Gettysburg Address. 19 Sec. 5. NEW SECTION . 261K.4 Course credit and graduation 20 requirements. 21 1. A public institution of higher education shall assign 22 a value of at least three semester hours of credit or its 23 equivalent to the course required by this chapter. 24 2. The course required by this chapter shall fulfill any 25 general education requirement in the social sciences that a 26 student is required to complete as a condition of graduation. 27 Sec. 6. NEW SECTION . 261K.5 Student transfers. 28 If a student completes the course required by this chapter 29 at a public institution of higher education and subsequently 30 transfers to another such institution, the student shall not be 31 required to complete the course again. 32 EXPLANATION 33 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 34 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 35 -3- LSB 1205HV (1) 91 je/jh 3/ 4

H.F. 402 This bill requires a public institution of higher education 1 to establish as a requirement for the completion of any 2 baccalaureate degree program that a student complete a 3 survey course in American history and civil government. The 4 requirement begins with the academic year commencing in 2027. 5 The bill provides minimum required subjects that must be taught 6 and documents that students must read as part of the course. 7 The bill defines a public institution of higher education 8 as a regents institution or a community college with respect 9 to any baccalaureate degree program offered by the community 10 college and to any student enrolled in such a program. 11 The bill provides that the course shall be assigned a 12 value of three semester hours of credit and that the course 13 shall fulfill any general education requirement in the social 14 sciences that is a graduation requirement. The bill provides 15 that a student shall not be required to complete the course 16 again if transferring to another public institution of higher 17 education. 18 -4- LSB 1205HV (1) 91 je/jh 4/ 4