HEAL Act

Subjects: Education

Summary:  <p><b>Holocaust Education and Antisemitism Lessons Act or the HEAL Act</b></p> <p>This bill directs the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum to study and report on Holocaust education efforts in states, local educational agencies (LEAs), and public elementary and secondary schools. Among other elements, the study must (1) determine whether states and LEAs require Holocaust education as part of the curriculum taught in public elementary and secondary schools, (2) identify the standards and requirements relating to Holocaust education, and (3) identify the types of instructional material used to teach students about the Holocaust.</p>

<html><body><pre>[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 603 Introduced in House (IH)]

&lt;DOC&gt;






118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 603

  To require a study on Holocaust education efforts of States, local 
educational agencies, and public elementary and secondary schools, and 
                          for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 27, 2023

Mr. Gottheimer (for himself, Mr. McCaul, Ms. Manning, Mr. Fitzpatrick, 
 Mr. Peters, Mr. Nickel, Mrs. Gonzalez-Colon, Ms. Brown, Ms. Wasserman 
   Schultz, Ms. Titus, Mr. Moskowitz, Mr. Panetta, Ms. Stevens, Mr. 
Sherman, Ms. Norton, Mr. Veasey, Mr. Trone, Ms. Wilson of Florida, Ms. 
  Ross, Mr. Ryan, Ms. Bonamici, Ms. Salazar, Mr. Weber of Texas, Ms. 
 Tokuda, Ms. Meng, Mr. Espaillat, Mrs. Watson Coleman, Mr. Goldman of 
New York, Mr. Payne, Mr. Balderson, Mr. Schneider, Ms. Eshoo, Ms. Wild, 
  Ms. Dean of Pennsylvania, Ms. Jackson Lee, Mr. Krishnamoorthi, Ms. 
Schrier, Ms. Scanlon, Mr. Jackson of Texas, Mr. Himes, Mr. Doggett, Ms. 
 Clarke of New York, Mr. Dunn of Florida, Mr. Torres of New York, Mr. 
  Kustoff, Mr. Phillips, Ms. Barragan, Mr. LaHood, Mr. Ferguson, Mr. 
 Carbajal, Mr. Kean of New Jersey, Mr. Bacon, Mr. Valadao, Ms. Tenney, 
Mr. Moulton, Ms. Tlaib, Mr. Carter of Louisiana, Mr. Pallone, Mr. Soto, 
    Mr. Garbarino, Ms. Houlahan, Mr. Buchanan, Mr. DeSaulnier, Mr. 
  Landsman, Mr. Lawler, and Mr. Moran) introduced the following bill; 
   which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To require a study on Holocaust education efforts of States, local 
educational agencies, and public elementary and secondary schools, and 
                          for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Holocaust Education and Antisemitism 
Lessons Act'' or the ``HEAL Act''.

SEC. 2. STUDY AND REPORT ON HOLOCAUST EDUCATION.

    (a) Study.--Beginning not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Director of the United States Holocaust 
Memorial Museum (referred to in this Act as the ``Director'') shall 
conduct a study on Holocaust education efforts in States, local 
educational agencies, and public elementary and secondary schools. Such 
study shall include an examination of--
            (1) all States;
            (2) a nationally representative sample of local educational 
        agencies; and
            (3) a representative sample of schools within the local 
        educational agencies being studied.
    (b) Elements.--In conducting the study under subsection (a), the 
Director shall--
            (1) determine whether States and local educational agencies 
        require Holocaust education as part of the curriculum taught in 
        public elementary and secondary schools;
            (2) identify States and local educational agencies that 
        have optional Holocaust education as part of the curriculum 
        taught in public elementary and secondary schools;
            (3) identify each State's standards and local educational 
        agency's requirements relating to Holocaust education and 
        summarize the status of the implementation of such standards, 
        including--
                    (A) the existence of a centralized apparatus at the 
                State or local level that collects and disseminates 
                Holocaust education curricula and materials;
                    (B) the existence of Holocaust education 
                professional development opportunities for pre-service 
                and in-service teachers; and
                    (C) the involvement of informal educational 
                organizations in implementing Holocaust education, 
                including museums and cultural centers;
            (4) determine whether public elementary and secondary 
        schools use the following strategies in their Holocaust 
        education, including through the qualitative and quantitative 
        analysis of such indicators as--
                    (A) in-class discussion;
                    (B) educational activities conducted outside the 
                classroom, including homework assignments and 
                experiential learning involving State and local 
                organizations, such as museums and cultural centers;
                    (C) project based learning;
                    (D) educational materials and activities that are 
                developmentally appropriate and taught through a 
                trauma-informed lens; and
                    (E) integration of lessons from the Holocaust 
                across the curriculum and throughout the school year;
            (5) identify the types of instructional materials used to 
        teach students about the Holocaust, including the use of 
        primary source material;
            (6) identify--
                    (A) the duration of the periods in which Holocaust 
                education is taught in public elementary and secondary 
                schools; and
                    (B) the comprehensiveness of the Holocaust 
                education curriculum taught in such schools, as 
                indicated by the extent to which the curriculum 
                addresses all elements and aspects of the Holocaust; 
                and
            (7) identify the approaches used by such schools to assess 
        outcomes using traditional and nontraditional assessments, 
        including asessments of--
                    (A) students' knowledge of the Holocaust; and
                    (B) students' ability to identify and analyze 
                antisemitism, bigotry, hate, and genocide in historical 
                and contemporary contexts.
    (c) Report.--
            (1) In general.--Following the completion of the study 
        under subsection (a), the Director shall prepare and submit to 
        Congress a report on the results of the study.
            (2) Deadline for submittal.--The report under paragraph (1) 
        shall be submitted not later than the earlier of--
                    (A) 180 days after the completion of the study 
                under subsection (a); or
                    (B) three years after the date of the enactment of 
                this section.
    (d) Definitions.--In this Act:
            (1) ESEA terms.--The terms ``elementary school'', ``local 
        educational agency'', ``secondary school'', and ``State'' have 
        the meanings given those terms in section 8101 of the 
        Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
        7801).
            (2) Holocaust.--The term ``Holocaust'' has the meaning 
        given that term in section 3 of the Never Again Education Act 
        (Public Law 116-141; 36 U.S.C. 2301 note).
            (3) Holocaust education.--The term ``Holocaust education'' 
        means educational activities that are specifically intended--
                    (A) to improve students' awareness and 
                understanding of the Holocaust;
                    (B) to educate students on the lessons of the 
                Holocaust as a means to raise awareness about the 
                importance of preventing genocide, hate, and bigotry 
                against any group of people; and
                    (C) to study the history of antisemitism, its deep 
                historical roots, the use of conspiracy theories and 
                propaganda that target the Jewish people, and the 
                shape-shifting nature of antisemitism over time.
            (4) Project based learning.--The term ``project based 
        learning'' means a teaching method through which students learn 
        by actively engaging in real-world and personally meaningful 
        projects.
                                 &lt;all&gt;
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