I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 849 
To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to increase 
civics education programs, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 29, 2019 
Mr. HASTINGS (for himself, Mr. WOODALL, Mr. NADLER, Mr. COHEN, Mr. 
GREEN of Texas, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Ms. 
OMAR, Ms. WILSON of Florida, Mr. SOTO, Mr. HARDER of California, 
Ms. NORTON, Mr. MEEKS, Ms. WILD, Mrs. HAYES, and Ms. CLARKE of 
New York) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Education and Labor 
A BILL 
To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 
of 1965 to increase civics education programs, and for 
other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Civics Learning Act 
of 2019’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
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(1) The dearth of civics lessons available to stu-
dents across the United States has helped to foster 
a political climate that is deeply partisan and di-
vided. 
(2) Polarized party politics in the United States 
has fractured public morale in our institutions and 
has created an environment in which people are less 
likely to be well-informed on the current state of af-
fairs and to participate in the political process. 
(3) According to the Annenberg Constitution 
Day Civics Survey conducted by the Annenberg Pub-
lic Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania— 
(A) in 2018, only 32 percent of people in 
the United States surveyed were capable of 
naming all 3 branches of Government, while 33 
percent of Americans were not able to name 
any of the branches of government; 
(B) in 2018, 30 percent of people in the 
United States surveyed knew that the Senate is 
in charge of Supreme Court nominee confirma-
tions; and 
(C) in 2017, 37 percent could not name 
any of the rights guaranteed under the First 
Amendment. 
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(4) In 2014, only 23 percent of eighth graders 
were found to have performed at or above the pro-
ficient level on the National Assessment of Edu-
cational Progress civics exam conducted by the Na-
tional Center of Education Studies. 
(5) A lack of knowledge on the basics of the 
structure of our democratic republic creates an in-
creasingly ill-prepared electorate which overtime has, 
and will continue to, contribute to a weakened de-
mocracy. 
SEC. 3. AMENDMENTS TO THE ELEMENTARY AND SEC-
ONDARY EDUCATION ACT OF 1965. 
Section 2233 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6663) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)— 
(A) by inserting ‘‘and prioritize innovative 
civics learning and teaching, including by en-
couraging’’ after ‘‘to encourage’’; and 
(B) by inserting ‘‘(including students and 
teachers at high-need schools (as defined in sec-
tion 2221))’’ before the period; 
(2) in subsection (b)— 
(A) by inserting ‘‘and appropriated under 
subsection 
(h) 
of 
this 
section’’ 
after 
‘‘2231(b)(2)’’; and 
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(B) by striking paragraph (2) and insert-
ing the following: 
‘‘(2) may include— 
‘‘(A) hands-on civic engagement activities 
for teachers and students; 
‘‘(B) activities about the history and prin-
ciples of the Constitution of the United States, 
including the Bill of Rights; 
‘‘(C) before-school, during-school, after- 
school, and extracurricular activities; 
‘‘(D) activities that include service learning 
and community service projects that are linked 
to school curriculum; 
‘‘(E) activities that encourage and support 
student participation in school governance; and 
‘‘(F) online and video game based learn-
ing.’’; 
(3) in subsection (c), by striking paragraph (3) 
and inserting the following: 
‘‘(3) DIVERSITY OF PROJECTS.— 
‘‘(A) DIVERSITY OF GRANTS.—In awarding 
grants under this section, the Secretary shall 
ensure that, to the extent practicable, grants 
are distributed among eligible entities that will 
serve geographically diverse areas, including 
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urban, suburban, and rural areas, and public el-
ementary schools. 
‘‘(B) ALLOCATION OF GRANT FUNDING.— 
To the extent practicable based on the applica-
tions received under subsection (d), the Sec-
retary shall ensure that— 
‘‘(i) not less than 30 percent of the 
grant funds under this section are awarded 
to eligible entities that serve elementary 
school students and teachers; 
‘‘(ii) not less than 30 percent of the 
grant funds under this section are awarded 
to eligible entities that serve middle school 
students and teachers; and 
‘‘(iii) not more than 40 percent of the 
grant funds under this section are awarded 
to eligible entities that serve high school 
students and teachers.’’; 
(4) in subsection (d), by inserting ‘‘, and con-
taining such information,’’ after ‘‘manner’’; and 
(5) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(f) GRANT AWARD PREFERENCE.—In awarding 
grants under this section, the Secretary shall give pref-
erence to applications for programs that carry out the ac-
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tivities listed in subsection (b)(2) for the purpose of 
strengthening civics education and learning. 
‘‘(g) ANNUAL REPORT.—Not later than 90 days after 
the end of each fiscal year, the Secretary shall submit to 
the Committee on Education and Labor of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Health, Education, 
Labor, and Pensions of the Senate a report containing— 
‘‘(1) a description of each eligible entity award-
ed a grant under this section during the preceding 
fiscal year; 
‘‘(2) a description of whether each such eligible 
entity was able to met each of the purposes under 
subsection (a), and if so, how such eligible entity 
was able to meet such purposes; and 
‘‘(3) any recommendations for continuation of 
the grant program under this section. 
‘‘(h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—In ad-
dition to the amounts reserved under section 2231(b)(2), 
there are authorized to be appropriated $30,000,000 to 
carry out this section for fiscal year 2020.’’. 
Æ 
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