Amended in Assembly April 2, 2013

California Legislature—2013–14 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 123

Introduced by Assembly Member Bonta

begin insert

(Coauthors: Assembly Members Alejo, Fong, Gomez, Nazarian, V. Manuel Pérez, Rendon, and Williams)

end insert

January 14, 2013

An act to begin delete add end delete begin insert amend end insert Section begin delete 51221.2 to end delete begin insert 51008 end insert begin insert of end insert the Education Code, relating to pupil instruction.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 123, as amended, Bonta. Pupil instruction: social sciences: farm labor movement: Filipinos.

Existing law requires a school district, as part of its adopted course of study for grades 7 to 12, inclusive, to offer courses in specified areas of study, including, among others, social sciences, drawing upon the disciplines of anthropology, economics, geography, history, political science, psychology, and sociology.

begin delete

This bill would require a school district, in providing instruction in the area of social sciences, to include instruction on the contributions of Filipino Americans to the farm labor movement in California, thereby imposing a state-mandated local program.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these statutory provisions.

end delete begin insert

Existing law requires the State Board of Education to ensure that the state curriculum and framework, where appropriate, include instruction on Cesar Chavez, and the history of the farm labor movement in the United States, and that the state criteria for selecting textbooks include information to guide the selection of textbooks that contain sections that highlight the life and contributions of Cesar Chavez, and the history of the farm labor movement in the United States.

end insert begin insert

This bill would additionally require that the state board ensure that the state curriculum and framework, where appropriate, include instruction on the role of immigrants, including Filipino Americans, in that farm labor movement.

end insert

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program:  begin delete yes end delete begin insert no end insert .

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.  

(a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

(1) All pupils who learn about the begin delete United Farm Workers end delete begin insert farmworker labor movement end insert should learn about the influence of all major groups involved in the movement to fully understand this important part of California history.

(2) According to a 2010 report by the United States Census Bureau, there are currently over 1.1 million Filipino Americans in California. Filipino Americans comprise the begin delete second and third end delete largest Asian begin delete populations end delete begin insert population end insert within California and begin insert the end insert begin insert third largest Asian population within end insert the United States begin delete , respectively end delete .

(3) It is important that pupils learn about the influence of Filipino Americans and their culture on the begin delete history of California end delete begin insert farmworker end insert begin insert labor movement end insert . The formation and continuing work of the begin delete United Farm Workers end delete begin insert farmworker labor movement end insert have had an enormous impact on helping to stop the suppression and oppression of begin delete farm workers end delete begin insert farmworkers end insert and the general working public on a national scale.

(4) Unfortunately, the story of how the Filipino American labor leaders and workers helped create the begin delete United Farm Workers end delete begin insert farmworker labor movement end insert has been greatly ignored by national and international media.

(b) It is therefore the intent of the Legislature to help begin delete emphasize end delete begin insert include end insert the important role of Filipino Americans in the history of the state and begin delete to help recognize end delete begin insert by recognizing end insert those noteworthy historical Filipino American figures who never received begin delete proper credit end delete begin insert appropriate recognition end insert for their work with the begin delete United Farm Workers end delete begin insert farmworker labor movement end insert .

begin insert

begin insert SEC. 2. end insert   

end insert

begin insert Section 51008 of the end insert begin insert Education Code end insert begin insert is amended to read: end insert

51008.  

The State Board of Education shall ensure that the state curriculum and framework, where appropriate, include instruction on Cesar Chavez and the history of the farm labor movement in the United States, begin insert and the role of immigrants, including Filipino Americans, in that movement, end insert and that the state criteria for selecting textbooks include information to guide the selection of textbooks that contain sections that highlight the life and contributions of Cesar begin delete Chavez and end delete begin insert Chavez, end insert the history of the farm labor movement in the United begin delete States end delete begin insert States, and the role of immigrants, including Filipino Americans, in that movement end insert .

begin delete

SEC. 2.  

Section 51221.2 is added to the Education Code, to read:

51221.2.  

Instruction in the area of social sciences, as required pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 51220, shall include instruction on the contributions of Filipino Americans to the farm labor movement in California.

end delete

begin delete

SEC. 3.  

If the Commission on State Mandates determines that
this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to
local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made
pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division
4 of Title 2 of the Government Code.

end delete