Revision: March 24, 2020, 7:13 a.m.
SB 727-FN-LOCAL - AS AMENDED BY THE SENATE
03/12/2020 1021s
2020 SESSION
20-2974
06/01
SENATE BILL 727-FN-LOCAL
SPONSORS: Sen. Kahn, Dist 10; Sen. Levesque, Dist 12; Sen. Rosenwald, Dist 13; Sen. Birdsell, Dist 19; Sen. Ward, Dist 8; Sen. Fuller Clark, Dist 21; Sen. Cavanaugh, Dist 16; Sen. Carson, Dist 14; Sen. Reagan, Dist 17; Sen. Bradley, Dist 3; Sen. Sherman, Dist 24; Sen. Soucy, Dist 18; Rep. Ford, Graf. 3
COMMITTEE: Education and Workforce Development
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AMENDED ANALYSIS
This bill requires Holocaust and genocide prevention education to be included in the criteria for an adequate education.
This bill also establishes a commission on Holocaust and genocide education.
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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
03/12/2020 1021s 20-2974
06/01
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 Findings and Purpose. The general court finds that intolerance, bigotry, antisemitism, and national, ethnic, racial, and religious hatred and discrimination are incompatible with the fundamental principles of democracy, and that such ideologies and practices, when unchallenged, can lead to genocide. Recognizing that democratic institutions and values are not automatically sustained, but need active civic responsibility and engagement, the general court finds that it is necessary, as part of an adequate education, to ensure that students are taught the historical facts about the Holocaust and other genocides and how intolerance, bigotry, antisemitism, and national, ethnic, racial, and religious hatred and discrimination have evolved in the past, and can evolve, into genocide and mass violence. The general court further finds that through education about the Holocaust and other forms of genocide, their causes, the consequences of intolerance, bigotry, antisemitism, and hate, and the lessons to be drawn for the present, students will understand the fragility of democracy, the importance of democratic principles, and the power of individual choices in preventing genocide.
2 Criteria for an Adequate Education. Amend RSA 193-E:2, IV to read as follows:
IV. Knowledge of civics and government, economics, geography, [and] history, and Holocaust and genocide education to enable them to participate in the democratic process and to make informed choices as responsible citizens.
3 New Paragraphs; Adequate Public Education; Definitions. Amend RSA 193-E:3-a by inserting after paragraph II the following new paragraphs:
II-a. “Genocide” means any of the following acts committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group: killing members of the group; causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group; or forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.
II-b. “Holocaust” means the systematic, bureaucratic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of approximately 6,000,000 Jews by the Nazi regime and its collaborators.
II-c. “Holocaust and genocide education” means studies on the Holocaust, genocide, and other acts of mass violence.
4 New Subparagraph; Instruction in National and State History and Government; Genocide Education. Amend RSA 189:11, I by inserting after subparagraph (i) the following new subparagraph:
(j) How intolerance, bigotry, antisemitism, and national, ethnic, racial, or religious hatred and discrimination have evolved in the past, and can evolve, into genocide and mass violence, such as the Holocaust, and how to prevent the evolution of such practices.
5 New Hampshire Genocide Awareness Month. Amend RSA 4:13-t to read as follows:
4:13-t New Hampshire Genocide Awareness Month. The governor shall annually proclaim the month of April as New Hampshire Genocide Awareness Month and shall urge cities and towns throughout the state to observe this month in an appropriate manner commemorating the victims of genocides and educating the public about the [evils of genocide and commemorating victims of genocide] importance of preventing intolerance, bigotry, antisemitism, and national, ethnic, racial, and religious hatred and genocide against any group of people.
6 State Board of Education; Rulemaking. Following the receipt of the preliminary report of the commission on Holocaust and genocide education, established in RSA 193-E:2-f, the state board of education shall initiate rulemaking, pursuant to RSA 541-A, relative to the recommendations of the commission.
7 New Section; Commission on Holocaust and Genocide Education. Amend RSA 193-E by inserting after section 2-e the following new section:
193-E:2-f Commission on Holocaust and Genocide Education.
I. There is established a commission to study best practices for teaching students how intolerance, bigotry, antisemitism, and national, ethnic, racial, or religious hatred and discrimination have evolved in the past, and can evolve into mass violence and genocide, such as the Holocaust.
II. The members of the commission shall be as follows:
(a) One member of the senate, appointed by the president of the senate.
(b) Two members of the house of representatives, appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives.
(c) The commissioner of education, or designee.
(d) One high school teacher, appointed by the governor.
(e) One middle school teacher, appointed by the governor.
(f) One school administrator, appointed by the New Hampshire School Administrators Association.
(g) One school curriculum coordinator, appointed by NEA-NH.
(h) The Roman Catholic bishop of Manchester, or designee.
(i) A representative of the New Hampshire Council of Churches, appointed by the council.
(j) A representative of the Keene state college Cohen Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, appointed by the college president.
(k) Two members appointed by the Jewish Federation of New Hampshire, one of whom shall be a religious leader.
(l) Two survivors or direct descendants of a survivor of either the Holocaust or another genocide, one appointed by the president of the senate and one appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives.
(m) A representative appointed by the Anti-Defamation League, New England region.
III. The commission shall:
(a) Recommend model school district policies for Holocaust and genocide education.
(b) Recommend to the state board of education rules for fulfilling the Holocaust and genocide education requirement.
(c) Identify best practices for teaching Holocaust and genocide education and the appropriate number of hours of instruction at multiple grade levels.
(d) Identify existing teaching materials and curriculum as well as strategies and content for providing and enhancing genocide education to students.
(e) Identify in-service education opportunities for educators.
(f) Promote, within the schools and the general population of the state, implementation of Holocaust and genocide education.
IV. Legislative members of the commission shall receive mileage at the legislative rate when attending to the duties of the commission.
V. The members of the commission shall elect a chairperson from among the members. The first meeting of the commission shall be called by the senate member. The first meeting of the commission shall be held within 45 days of the effective date of this section. Eight members of the commission shall constitute a quorum.
VI. Report. The commission shall report its findings and any recommendations for proposed legislation to the president of the senate, the speaker of the house of representatives, the chairpersons of the senate and house committees with jurisdiction over education, the senate clerk, the house clerk, the state board of education, the governor, and the state library. A preliminary report shall be submitted on or before January 1, 2021. An annual report shall be submitted on or before November 1, 2021 and each year thereafter. The commission shall monitor the implementation by grade, curriculum, and hours of instruction. A final report shall be submitted on or before November 1, 2024.
8 Repeal. RSA 193-E:2-f, relative to the commission on genocide education, is repealed.
I. Sections 1-6 of this act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.
II. Section 8 of this act shall take effect November 1, 2024.
III. The remainder of this act shall take effect upon its passage.
20-2974
Amended 3/23/20
SB 727-FN-LOCAL- FISCAL NOTE
AS AMENDED BY THE SENATE (AMENDMENT #2020-1021s)
FISCAL IMPACT: [ ] State [ ] County [ X ] Local [ ] None
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| Estimated Increase / (Decrease) | |||
LOCAL: | FY 2020 | FY 2021 | FY 2022 | FY 2023 |
Revenue | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Expenditures | $0 | Indeterminable | Indeterminable | Indeterminable |
METHODOLOGY:
This bill requires local school districts to modify or add to their curricula content relative to genocide and Holocaust prevention education. The Department of Education states it does not have any information as to the extent of Holocaust education currently taking place in schools today and is unable to estimate this bill’s impact on local school district expenditures, if any.
AGENCIES CONTACTED:
Department of Education