By: Creighton S.B. No. 2136
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to measures to support public secondary and postsecondary
  American history and civics education, including the satisfaction
  of curriculum requirements in American History at institutions of
  higher education and the establishment of the American History and
  Civics Project.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 51.302(b), Education Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         (b)  Except as provided by Subsection (c), a college or
  university receiving state support or state aid from public funds
  may not grant a baccalaureate degree or a lesser degree or academic
  certificate to any person unless the person has credit for six
  semester hours or its equivalent in American History. A student is
  entitled to submit as much as three semester hours of credit or its
  equivalent in Texas History in partial satisfaction of this
  requirement. The college or university shall ensure that a student
  may satisfy this requirement by successfully completing survey
  courses that address the major themes of American history from the
  nation's founding onward. The college or university may determine
  that a student has satisfied this requirement in whole or part on
  the basis of credit granted to the student by the college or
  university for a substantially equivalent course completed at
  another accredited college or university, or on the basis of the
  student's successful completion of an advanced standing
  examination administered on the conditions and under the
  circumstances common for the college or university's advanced
  standing examinations. The college or university may grant as much
  as three semester hours of credit or its equivalent toward
  satisfaction of this requirement for substantially equivalent work
  completed by a student in the program of an approved senior R.O.T.C.
  unit.
         SECTION 2.  Subchapter C, Chapter 61, Education Code, is
  amended by adding Section 61.0518 to read as follows:
         Sec. 61.0518.  AMERICAN HISTORY AND CIVICS PROJECT. (a) In
  this section, "project" means the American History and Civics
  Project.
         (b)  The board, in consultation with institutions of higher
  education, shall establish the American History and Civics Project
  to:
               (1)  strengthen American history and civics education
  at public high schools and institutions of higher education; and
               (2)  encourage the development and effective use of
  high-quality digital content and professional development
  materials for use in American history and civics education at
  public high schools and institutions of higher education.
         (c)  The board shall convene an expert commission of scholars
  and educators to assist in the creation of the project.
         (d)  Using funds appropriated or otherwise available for
  purposes of the project, the board shall award grants to
  individuals with relevant subject matter expertise, school
  districts, or institutions of higher education to recommend and
  develop digital content and professional development materials for
  use in American history and civics education at public high schools
  and institutions of higher education.
         (e)  Digital content recommended or developed using a grant
  awarded under Subsection (d) may include interactive and
  audiovisual resources, assignments, and model syllabuses that:
               (1)  address the major themes of American history from
  the nation's founding onward; and
               (2)  may be used in the delivery of:
                     (A)  survey courses offered by institutions of
  higher education;
                     (B)  dual credit or dual enrollment courses
  offered by public high schools or institutions of higher education;
  or
                     (C)  public high school courses for which students
  may receive credit that satisfies all or part of the requirements
  under Section 51.302(b).
         (f)  To encourage the effective use of digital content
  recommended or developed using a grant awarded under Subsection
  (d), the board shall, using funds appropriated or otherwise
  available for purposes of the project, support the establishment of
  a professional development program for individuals who teach one or
  more American history and civics courses, including a dual credit
  or dual enrollment course, at a public high school or institution of
  higher education. The professional development program may include
  an annual statewide conference.
         (g)  The board shall include in the state repository of open
  educational resources developed under Section 61.0670 any digital
  content or professional development materials developed using a
  grant awarded under Subsection (d).
         (h)  The board may adopt rules necessary to implement this
  section.
         SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2023.