IIB 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5349 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

DECEMBER 9, 2024 

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, 

Labor, and Pensions 

AN ACT 

To develop and disseminate a civic education curriculum 

and oral history resources regarding certain political 

ideologies, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 


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HR 5349 RFS

1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Crucial Communism 

3 Teaching Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. PURPOSES. 

5 The purposes of this Act are the following: 

6 (1) To help families, civic institutions, local 

7 communities, local educational agencies, high 

8 schools, and State educational agencies to prepare 

9 high school students to be civically responsible and 

10 knowledgeable adults. 

11 (2) To ensure that high school students in the 

12 United States— 

13 (A) learn that communism has led to the 

14 deaths of over 100,000,000 victims worldwide; 

15 (B) understand the dangers of communism 

16 and similar political ideologies; and 

17 (C) understand that 1,500,000,000 people 

18 still suffer under communism. 

19 SEC. 3. DEVELOPMENT AND DISSEMINATION OF CIVIC EDU20 CATION CURRICULUM AND ORAL HISTORY 

21 RESOURCES. 

22 The independent entity created under section 

23 905(b)(1)(B) of the FRIENDSHIP Act (40 U.S.C. 8903 

24 note; 107 Stat. 2331 note), also known as the ‘‘Victims 

25 of Communism Memorial Foundation’’, shall— 


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HR 5349 RFS

1 (1) develop a civic education curriculum for 

2 high school students that— 

3 (A) includes a comparative discussion of 

4 certain political ideologies, including com5 munism and totalitarianism, that conflict with 

6 the principles of freedom and democracy that 

7 are essential to the founding of the United 

8 States; 

9 (B) is updated periodically to ensure the 

10 curriculum includes both past and present com11 munist and totalitarian regimes, with a focus 

12 on— 

13 (i) ongoing human rights abuses by 

14 such regimes, such as the treatment of 

15 Uyghurs in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autono16 mous Region (XUAR) by the People’s Re17 public of China; and 

18 (ii) aggression by such regimes 

19 against democratic nations and democracy, 

20 such as actions taken by the People’s Re21 public of China to deter pro-democracy 

22 protests in Hong Kong and the increas23 ingly aggressive posture by the People’s 

24 Republic of China toward Taiwan, a demo25 cratic friend of the United States. 


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1 (C) is accurate, relevant, and accessible, so 

2 as to promote the understanding of such polit3 ical ideologies; and 

4 (D) is compatible with a variety of courses, 

5 including social studies, government, history, 

6 and economics classes; 

7 (2) develop oral history resources that may be 

8 used alongside the curriculum described in para9 graph (1) and that include personal stories, titled 

10 ‘‘Portraits in Patriotism’’, from diverse individuals 

11 who— 

12 (A) demonstrate civic-minded qualities; 

13 (B) are victims of the political ideologies 

14 described in paragraph (1)(A); and 

15 (C) are able to compare the political 

16 ideologies described in paragraph (1)(A) with 

17 the political ideology of the United States; and 

18 (3) engage with State and local educational 

19 leaders to assist high schools in using the curriculum 

20 described in paragraph (1) and the resources de21 scribed in paragraph (2). 


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1 SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 

2 The terms in section 8101 of the Elementary and 

3 Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801) shall 

4 apply to this Act. 

Passed the House of Representatives December 6, 

2024. 

Attest: KEVIN F. MCCUMBER, 

Clerk. 


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