03/16/2016 08:00 AM House EDUCATION

               SCR 1-CIVICS EDUCATION TASK FORCE                                                                            
                [Contains discussion of HB 89.]                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
8:03:59 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR KELLER announced that the  first order of business would be                                                               
CS FOR  SENATE CONCURRENT  RESOLUTION NO.  1(EDC), Relating  to a                                                               
legislative task force on civics education.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
8:04:04 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  TALERICO moved  to adopt  the proposed  committee                                                               
substitute  (CS) for  CSSCR1(EDC),  labeled 29-LS0237\I,  Glover,                                                               
3/11/16, as  the working document.   Without objection  Version I                                                               
was before the committee.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
8:04:52 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
TIM   LAMKIN,  Staff,   Senator   Gary   Stevens,  Alaska   State                                                               
Legislature, presented the CS, with  the incorporated changes and                                                               
notations of the requesting member, which read:                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
     Change 1:                                                                                                                  
     Page 1, Line 8, following "knowledge," INSERT:                                                                             
        "based on an understanding of the values of our                                                                         
     founders that are revealed in our founding documents,"                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
     Intent: Requested by [Chair Keller], to give specific                                                                      
     reference to the U.S. founding documents.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
     Change 2:                                                                                                                  
     Page 2, Lines 1, following "help":                                                                                         
          DELETE: "ensure that schools"                                                                                         
          INSERT: "encourage schools to"                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
     Page 2, Line 2, following "for all students":                                                                              
          DELETE: "through"                                                                                                     
          INSERT: "in such a way so as to compliment"                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
        Intent: Representative Seaton requested this to                                                                         
     clarify that the task force would not be adopting new                                                                      
     state standards for civics education.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     Change 3:                                                                                                                  
     Page 2, Line 14-20, following (4):                                                                                         
     INSERT: "(5) Evaluate the  merits of and implementation                                                                    
     requirements for requiring high  school seniors to take                                                                    
     and  satisfactorily  pass  the civics  portion  of  the                                                                    
     naturalization   test  used   by   the  United   States                                                                    
     Citizenship  and Immigration  Services  under 8  U.S.C.                                                                    
     1446(b)  as  a  contingency  of  graduating  from  high                                                                    
     school;                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
     (6)  Review the  merits of  and consider  ways to  best                                                                    
     implement  the  Federal   Every  Student  Succeeds  Act                                                                    
     (ESSA), as it pertains to civics education in Alaska;"                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
     Result: Adds two subsections to  the duties of the task                                                                    
     force.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
     Intent:  Incorporates  the  goal   behind  HB  89,  and                                                                    
     considers  new federal  policy in  the field  of civics                                                                    
     education under ESSA.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     Change 4:                                                                                                                  
     Page 3, Lines 8-9:                                                                                                         
          DELETE: "one member of the National Education                                                                         
     Association [(NEA)] who is a"                                                                                              
          INSERT: "one current or retired high school                                                                           
     teacher with significant  teaching experience in civics                                                                    
     or social studies education in the state"                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
     Intent:  Chair's request  to remove  explicit reference                                                                    
     to the NEA.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
8:09:41 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  KELLER expressed  support for  the bill  and gratification                                                               
for inclusion of  the specific language inserted  on his request.                                                               
He  stressed  the importance  for  including  the reference,  and                                                               
paraphrased  the proposed  language from  page 1,  line 8,  which                                                               
read:                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
     ... develop civics knowledge  based on an understanding                                                                    
     of the values  of the nation's founders  as revealed in                                                                    
     the  nation's founding  documents, including  knowledge                                                                    
     of our system of government and how it works, ...                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
8:10:30 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  COLVER  turned  to  the fiscal  note,  and  asked                                                               
whether civic  groups, or  other non-profits  organizations, have                                                               
been solicited to cover the costs of the task force.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
MR. LAMKIN  indicated the frugality incorporated  into the fiscal                                                               
note and that  costs will be borne by members  of the task force.                                                               
The fiscal note was previously zeroed out, he reported.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
8:12:23 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
The committee took an at-ease from 8:12 a.m. to 8:13 a.m.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
8:13:24 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE COLVER  moved to report  the CS for  CSSCR 1(EDC),                                                               
labeled  29-LS0237\I,  Glover,  3/11/16, out  of  committee  with                                                               
individual  recommendations  and  the  accompanying  zero  fiscal                                                               
notes.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
8:14:29 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE   SEATON  objected   for   discussion,  and   upon                                                               
receiving  clarification  that  the  motion  was  on  Version  I,                                                               
removed his objection.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR KELLER without  further objection HCS for  CSSCR 1(EDC) was                                                               
reported from the House Education Standing Committee.