House Passes Civics Education Bill After Decade-Long Push

The Alaska House of Representatives voted 37-3 Tuesday to pass legislation requiring civics education and new graduation requirements. The bill has been pursued for a decade.

The bill — House Committee Substitute for Senate Bill 23 — passed after amendments on career and technical education programs were withdrawn to keep the bill focused on civics. SB 23 would require a high school social studies course and a civics assessment exam for graduation, and tasks the State Board of Education and Early Development with providing educational resources at no cost to assist school districts that opt to develop curriculum, assessments, and lesson plans.

Comparable measures in other states include Massachusetts legislation enacted in 2018 that requires civics education using founding documents and local government content with student-led projects. Federal funding for civics and history under the main competitive grant program fell from roughly $30 million in 2010 to under $5 million by 2020, before Congress increased it to about $23 million per year in 2024.

Representative Nellie Unangiq Jimmie voted against the bill. She cited the lack of acknowledgment of Indigenous contributions to American governance. Jimmie said the bill is missing historical facts that would be taught. She said the government adopted the Iroquois way of governance.

Floor debate highlighted the bill's emphasis on teaching about the founding fathers and founding documents. One representative said the bill is specific in requiring instruction on founding documents. The representative noted that many young people are unfamiliar with materials such as the Federalist Papers. The bill codifies what many districts already do regarding minimum graduation requirements. It emphasizes civics education for Alaska students.

Representative David Nelson said the bill represented a fitting conclusion to his legislative tenure. Nelson said if this is one of the last bills he co-sponsors in his tenure in the state legislature, he thinks that is pretty good.

Representative Bill Elam withdrew an amendment that would have added career and technical education grant opportunities to the bill. Elam said he talked to the underlying bill sponsor for civics. He said civics is a really important subject and he supports the bill that came over from the other body. He said he appreciates the work the sponsor did. Elam said he realizes his amendment adds complications and probably jeopardizes the function of the civics bill.

The bill represents a decade-long effort by a member of the Senate from Kodiak. During floor debate, supporters noted the legislation aligns with the upcoming 250th anniversary of American independence.