I
106TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 3195
To amend part F of title X of the Elementary and Secondary Education
Act of 1965 to improve and refocus civic education, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
NOVEMBER 2, 1999
Mr. KILDEE (for himself and Mr. CASTLE) introduced the following bill; which
was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in
addition to the Committee on International Relations, for a period to be
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration
of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee con-
cerned
A BILL
To amend part F of title X of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act of 1965 to improve and refocus civic
education, 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 ‘‘Education for Democ-
racy Act’’.
SEC. 2. CIVIC EDUCATION.
Part F of title X of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 8141 et seq.) is amend-
ed to read as follows:
‘‘PART F—CIVIC EDUCATION
‘‘SEC. 10601. SHORT TITLE.
‘‘This part may be cited as the ‘Education for De-
mocracy Act’.
‘‘SEC. 10602. FINDINGS.
‘‘The Congress finds that—
‘‘(1) college freshmen surveyed in 1997 by the
Higher Education Research Institute at the Univer-
sity of California at Los Angeles demonstrated high-
er levels of disengagement, both academically and
politically, than any previous entering class of stu-
dents;
‘‘(2) college freshmen in 1997 demonstrated the
lowest levels of political interest in the 20-year his-
tory of surveys conducted by the Higher Education
Research Institute at the University of California at
Los Angeles;
‘‘(3) United States secondary school students
expressed relatively low levels of interest in politics
and economics in a 1999 Harris survey;
‘‘(4) the 28th Annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup
Poll in 1996 indicated that American citizens believe
that the Nation’s schools, apart from providing a
basic education, had a very important role to play in
preparing students to be responsible citizens;
‘‘(5) Americans surveyed by the Organization of
Economic Cooperation and Development indicated
that only 59 percent had confidence that schools
have a major effect on the development of good citi-
zenship;
‘‘(6) teachers too often do not have sufficient
expertise in the subjects that they teach, and half of
all secondary school history students in America are
being taught by teachers with neither a major nor
a minor in history;
‘‘(7) secondary school students correctly an-
swered less than half of the questions on a national
test of economic knowledge in a 1999 Harris survey;
‘‘(8) the most recent National Assessment of
Educational Progress indicated that students have
only superficial knowledge of, and lacked a depth of
understanding regarding, civics;
‘‘(9) civic and economic education are impor-
tant not only to developing citizenship competencies
in the United States but also are critical to sup-
porting political stability and economic health in
other democracies, particularly emerging democratic
market economies;
‘‘(10) international education exchange pro-
grams in civic and economic education have been
shown to enhance both educational reform efforts in
other democracies and educational quality in United
States classrooms;
‘‘(11) more than three quarters of Americans
surveyed by the National Constitution Center in
1997 admitted that they knew only some or very lit-
tle about the Constitution of the United States; and
‘‘(12) the Constitution of the United States is
too often viewed within the context of history and
not as a living document that shapes current events.
‘‘SEC. 10603. PURPOSE.
‘‘It is the purpose of this part—
‘‘(1) to improve the quality of civics and gov-
ernment education, and to enhance the attainment
of the third and sixth National Education Goals, by
educating students about the history and principles
of the Constitution of the United States, including
the Bill of Rights;
‘‘(2) to foster civic competence and responsi-
bility; and
‘‘(3) to improve the quality of civic education
and economic education through cooperative civic
education and economic education exchange pro-
grams with other democratic nations.
‘‘SEC. 10604. GENERAL AUTHORITY.
‘‘(a) GRANTS AND CONTRACTS.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary is authorized
to award grants to or enter into contracts with—
‘‘(A) the Center for Civic Education to
carry out civic education activities under sec-
tions 10605 and 10606; and
‘‘(B) the National Council on Economic
Education to carry out economic education ac-
tivities under section 10606.
‘‘(2) CONSULTATION.—The Secretary shall
award the grants and contracts under section 10606
in consultation with the Secretary of State.
‘‘(b) DISTRIBUTION.—The Secretary shall use not
more than 50 percent of the amount appropriated under
section 10607(b) for each fiscal year to carry out economic
education activities under section 10606.
‘‘SEC. 10605. WE THE PEOPLE PROGRAM.
‘‘(a) THE CITIZEN AND THE CONSTITUTION.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Center for Civic Edu-
cation shall use funds awarded under section
10604(a)(1)(A) to carry out The Citizen and the
Constitution program in accordance with this sub-
section.
‘‘(2) EDUCATIONAL
ACTIVITIES.—The Citizen
and the Constitution program—
‘‘(A) shall continue and expand the edu-
cational activities of the ‘We the People . . .
The Citizen and the Constitution’ program ad-
ministered by the Center for Civic Education;
‘‘(B) shall enhance student attainment of
challenging content standards in civics and gov-
ernment; and
‘‘(C) shall provide—
‘‘(i) a course of instruction on the
basic principles of our Nation’s constitu-
tional democracy and the history of the
Constitution of the United States and the
Bill of Rights;
‘‘(ii) at the request of a participating
school, school and community simulated
congressional hearings following the course
of study;
‘‘(iii) an annual national competition
of simulated congressional hearings for
secondary school students who wish to par-
ticipate in such a program;
‘‘(iv) advanced training of teachers
about the Constitution of the United
States and the political system the United
States created;
‘‘(v) materials and methods of instruc-
tion, including teacher training, that utilize
the latest advancements in educational
technology; and
‘‘(vi) civic education materials and
services to address specific problems such
as the prevention of school violence and the
abuse of drugs and alcohol.
‘‘(3) AVAILABILITY
OF
PROGRAM.—The edu-
cation program authorized under this subsection
shall be made available to public and private elemen-
tary schools and secondary schools, including Bu-
reau funded schools, in the 435 congressional dis-
tricts, and in the District of Columbia, the Common-
wealth of Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Is-
lands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Common-
wealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
‘‘(b) PROJECT CITIZEN.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Center for Civic Edu-
cation shall use funds awarded under section
10604(a)(1)(A) to carry out The Project Citizen
program in accordance with this subsection.
‘‘(2) EDUCATIONAL
ACTIVITIES.—The Project
Citizen program—
‘‘(A) shall continue and expand the edu-
cational activities of the ‘We the People . . .
Project Citizen’ program administered by the
Center for Civic Education;
‘‘(B) shall enhance student attainment of
challenging content standards in civics and gov-
ernment; and
‘‘(C) shall provide—
‘‘(i) a course of instruction at the
middle school level on the roles of State
and local governments in the Federal sys-
tem established by the Constitution of the
United States;
‘‘(ii) optional school and community
simulated State legislative hearings;
‘‘(iii) an annual national showcase or
competition;
‘‘(iv) advanced training of teachers on
the roles of State and local governments in
the Federal system established by the Con-
stitution of the United States;
‘‘(v) materials and methods of instruc-
tion, including teacher training, that utilize
the latest advancements in educational
technology; and
‘‘(vi) civic education materials and
services to address specific problems such
as the prevention of school violence and the
abuse of drugs and alcohol.
‘‘(3) AVAILABILITY
OF
PROGRAM.—The edu-
cation program authorized under this subsection
shall be made available to public and private middle
schools, including Bureau funded schools, in the 50
States of the United States, the District of Colum-
bia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United
States Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and
the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Is-
lands.
‘‘(c) DEFINITION OF BUREAU FUNDED SCHOOL.—
In this section the term ‘Bureau funded school’ has the
meaning given the term in section 1146 of the Education
Amendments of 1978.
‘‘SEC. 10606. COOPERATIVE CIVIC EDUCATION AND ECO-
NOMIC EDUCATION EXCHANGE PROGRAMS.
‘‘(a) COOPERATIVE EDUCATION EXCHANGE PRO-
GRAMS.—The Center for Civic Education and the National
Council on Economic Education shall use funds awarded
under section 10604(a)(1) to carry out Cooperative Edu-
cation Exchange programs in accordance with this section.
‘‘(b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the Cooperative
Education Exchange programs provided under this section
shall be to—
‘‘(1) make available to educators from eligible
countries exemplary curriculum and teacher training
programs in civics and government education, and
economics education, developed in the United States;
‘‘(2) assist eligible countries in the adaptation,
implementation, and institutionalization of such pro-
grams;
‘‘(3) create and implement civics and govern-
ment education, and economic education, programs
for students that draw upon the experiences of the
participating eligible countries;
‘‘(4) provide a means for the exchange of ideas
and experiences in civics and government education,
and economic education, among political, edu-
cational, governmental, and private sector leaders of
participating eligible countries; and
‘‘(ii) effective participation in and im-
provement of an efficient market economy;
and
‘‘(3) assist participants from eligible countries
and the United States to participate in international
conferences on civics and government education, and
economic education, for educational leaders, teacher
trainers, scholars in related disciplines, and edu-
cational policymakers.
‘‘(e) PARTICIPANTS.—The primary participants in
the Cooperative Education Exchange programs assisted
under this section shall be educational leaders in the areas
of civics and government education, and economic edu-
cation, including curriculum and teacher training special-
ists, scholars in relevant disciplines, and educational pol-
icymakers, and government and private sector leaders
from the United States and eligible countries.
‘‘(f) DEFINITION.—For the purpose of this section,
the term ‘eligible country’ means a Central European
country, an Eastern European country, Lithuania, Latvia,
Estonia, the independent states of the former Soviet
Union as defined in section 3 of the FREEDOM Support
Act (22 U.S.C. 5801), and may include the Republic of
Ireland, the province of Northern Ireland in the United
Kingdom, and any developing country, as defined in sec-
tion 209(d) of the Education for the Deaf Act, that has
a democratic form of government as determined by the
Secretary in consultation with the Secretary of State.
‘‘SEC. 10607. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
‘‘(a) SECTION 10605.—There are authorized to be
appropriated to carry out section 10605, $10,000,000 for
fiscal year 2000 and such sums as may be necessary for
each of the fiscal years 2001 through 2004.
‘‘(b) SECTION 10606.—There are authorized to be
appropriated to carry out section 10606, $10,000,000 for
fiscal year 2000 and such sums as may be necessary for
each of the fiscal years 2001 through 2004.’’.
SEC. 3. REPEAL.
Title VI of the Goals 2000: Educate America Act (20
U.S.C. 5951 et seq.) is repealed.
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