04/27/2004 03:11 PM House HES

HB  84-ALASKA HISTORY CURRICULUM                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
Number 1203                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR WILSON announced  that the next order of  business would be                                                               
HOUSE BILL  NO. 84, "An Act  relating to a curriculum  for Alaska                                                               
history; and providing for an effective date."                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
PAT JACKSON,  Staff to Representative Mary  Kapsner, Alaska State                                                               
Legislature,  presented   HB  84  on  behalf   of  Representative                                                               
Kapsner, sponsor of HB 84.  She  said that she will be very brief                                                               
in her explanation  of the bill because she is  aware of the fact                                                               
that the members  are familiar with it.  Ms.  Jackson shared that                                                               
when  researching the  bill it  was discovered  that in  1981 the                                                               
state board  of education  had looked at  the issue  of requiring                                                               
Alaska history for high school  seniors because of the importance                                                               
of  knowing one's  history in  order  to become  active in  state                                                               
affairs.   In 1988  the then Senator  Willie Hensley  sponsored a                                                               
resolution which passed the legislature  with strong support, 18-                                                               
0 in the Senate and 35-1 in the House.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
MS. JACKSON told the members  when Representative Kapsner started                                                               
working on the issue she  worked with a dedicated, broad-ranging,                                                               
group of  people from Commonwealth  North, the  Humanities Forum,                                                               
the Alaska Historical Society, the  [Alaska Association of School                                                               
Administrators], and NEA-Alaska.  There  was agreement that it is                                                               
important   that  high   school  students   have  that   base  of                                                               
information.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MS. JACKSON commented  that in the previous  legislature the bill                                                               
passed the  House with really strong  support by a vote  of 36-0,                                                               
but  hit  a roadblock  in  the  Senate.   Representative  Kapsner                                                               
reintroduced  the  legislation this  year  and  has continued  to                                                               
receive a  lot of positive  support from people around  the state                                                               
from policy makers who wear a lot of hats.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Number 1353                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON moved to  report CSHB 84(EDU), 23-LS0116\I,                                                               
out  of   committee  with  individual  recommendations   and  the                                                               
accompanying  fiscal  notes.   There  being  no  objection,  CSHB
(EDU),  version  I,  was  reported out  of  the  House  Health,                                                               
Education and Social Services Standing Committee.