Bill Text: HI HCR46 | 2014 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Public Education; Civics
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2014-04-08 - Referred to EDU, WAM. [HCR46 Detail]
Download: Hawaii-2014-HCR46-Introduced.html
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
H.C.R. NO. |
46 |
TWENTY-SEVENTH LEGISLATURE, 2014 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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HOUSE CONCURRENT
RESOLUTION
urging the department of education to take necessary steps to reinforce instruction regarding american civics.
WHEREAS, Hawaii's rate of voter participation is among the lowest in the nation; and
WHEREAS, voter and citizen participation is vital for democracy to flourish now and in the future; and
WHEREAS, low voter participation tends to indicate a lack of interest or lack of knowledge about government; and
WHEREAS, the subject of American civics is not strongly emphasized in Hawaii's public school curriculum; and
WHEREAS, a basic education in the history and origins of our constitutional democracy is essential to understanding the importance of our form of government and the importance of the role the individual citizen plays in that government; and
WHEREAS, American civics is the bedrock of this basic education in government; and
WHEREAS, the Hawaii State Constitution and state government are modeled on the United States Constitution and government; and
WHEREAS, many students in Hawaii's public schools were born overseas in nations with various forms of government and would benefit from understanding the basics of American government; and
WHEREAS, intermediate school students in grades seven and eight are typically in a phase of development where personal independence and self-governance are important personal issues, and they may therefore be particularly receptive to learning about the broader application of these concepts; and
WHEREAS, a strong academic program of American civics in public schools can only enhance the whole of free society in Hawaii and in individual students in a reciprocal way; and
BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-seventh Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2014, the Senate concurring, that the Department of Education is urged to emphasize and reinforce instruction regarding American civics; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education is urged to afford public school students a strong foundation in American civics before they enter high school; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education is urged to emphasize curriculum that includes the study of the Declaration of Independence as drafted by Thomas Jefferson in 1776, the Constitution of the United States of America including the Bill of Rights, the history behind these documents, and an examination of why these documents are important to each person; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Education and the Superintendent of Education.
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OFFERED BY: |
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Public Education; American Civics; Instruction Emphasized