BILL NUMBER: AB 717	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN SENATE  SEPTEMBER 10, 2009
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  APRIL 20, 2009

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Members Cook  and Ma  
and Lieu 
    (   Principal coauthor: 
 Senator   Yee   )

   (Coauthors: Assembly Members  Arambula,  
  Bill Berryhill,   
 Block,     Blumenfield,
    Carter,  
  Coto,     Fong,
    Furutani,  
  Gilmore,    
Hagman,     Huffman, 
   Krekorian,   
 Lieu,     Nestande,
    Portantino,  
  Salas,    
Saldana,     Silva, 
   Torlakson,   
 and Yamada   De Leon,   DeVore, 
 Fuller,   Gilmore,   Harkey,  
Jeffries,   Niello,   and Silva  )
   (Coauthors: Senators  Cedillo   
 and DeSaulnier   Cogdill,   Correa,
  Cox,   Denham,   and Huff  )

                        FEBRUARY 26, 2009

    An act to amend Section 51221.4 of the Education Code,
relating to public school instruction.   An act to amend
Section 37222 of the Education Code, and to add Section 6715 to the
Government Code, relating to state observances. 


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 717, as amended, Cook.  Public school instruction:
social science: World War II: Filipinos.   Welcome Home
Vie   tnam Veterans Day.  
   Existing law requires the Governor to proclaim various days as
holidays and days of remembrance. Existing law also designates
certain days in each year as having special significance for purposes
of encouraging schools to observe those days and conduct suitable
commemorative exercises.  
   This bill would require the Governor to annually proclaim March 30
of each year as "Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day." The bill would
also encourage schools to conduct exercises on March 30 of each year
to recognize the contributions of those involved in the Vietnam
conflict.  
   Under existing law, the adopted course of study for grades 7 to
12, inclusive, is required to include instruction in social science.
Schools are authorized to include instruction on World War II and the
American role in that war in their social science instruction.
Existing law encourages that instruction to include a component drawn
from personal testimony of American soldiers who were involved in
World War II and those men and women who contributed to the war
effort on the homefront. School districts are required to implement
the encouraged instruction in a manner that does not result in the
imposition of new duties or programs.  
   This bill would encourage instruction in social science for grades
7 to 12, inclusive, to include instruction on World War II and the
role of Filipinos in that war. 
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no.
State-mandated local program: no.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

   SECTION 1.    The Legislature hereby finds and
declares all of the following:  
   (a) In 2007, the United States Congress, by separate Senate and
House Resolutions, declared that a Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day
should be established.  
   (b) The Vietnam War was fought in Vietnam from 1961 to 1975, and
involved North Vietnam and Viet Cong in conflict with the United
States and South Vietnam.  
   (c) The United States became involved in Vietnam because
policymakers in the United States believed that if South Vietnam fell
to a communist government, communism would spread throughout the
rest of southeast Asia.  
   (d) Members of the United States Armed Forces began serving in an
advisory role to the South Vietnamese in 1961.  
   (e) As a result of the Gulf of Tonkin incidents on August 2 and
August 4, 1964, the United States overwhelmingly passed the Gulf of
Tonkin Resolution (Public Law 99-408), on August 7, 1964, which
effectively handed over the war-making powers to President Johnson
until such time as "peace and security" had returned to Vietnam.
 
   (f) In 1965, there were 80,000 United States troops in Vietnam,
and by 1969 a peak of approximately 543,000 troops was reached. 

   (g) On January 27, 1973, the Treaty of Paris was signed, which
required the release of all United States prisoners of war held in
North Vietnam and the withdrawal of all United States Armed Forces
from South Vietnam.  
   (h) On March 30, 1973, the United States Armed Forces completed
the withdrawal of combat troops from Vietnam.  
   (i) More than 58,000 members of the United States Armed Forces
lost their lives in Vietnam and more than 300,000 were wounded. 

   (j) In 1982, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was dedicated in the
District of Columbia to commemorate those members of the United
States Armed Forces who died or were declared missing in action in
Vietnam.  
   (k) The Vietnam War was an extremely divisive issue among the
people of the United States.  
   (l) Upon their return home, members of the United States Armed
Forces who served bravely and faithfully for the United States during
the Vietnam War were caught in the crossfire of public debate about
the involvement of the United States in the war.  
   (m) The establishment of a Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day would
be an appropriate way to honor those members of the United States
Armed Forces who served in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. 
   SEC. 2.    Section 37222 of the   Education
Code   is amended to read: 
   37222.  (a) The following days in each year are designated and set
apart as days having special significance:
   (1) The second Wednesday in May as the Day of the Teacher.
   (2) April 21 of each year as John Muir Day.
   (3) April 6 of each year as California Poppy Day. 
   (4) March 30 of each year as Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day.

   (b) On each of the days designated in subdivision (a), all public
schools and educational institutions are encouraged to observe those
days and to conduct suitable commemorative exercises as follows:
   (1) On the Day of the Teacher, exercises commemorating and
directing attention to teachers and the teaching profession.
   (2) On John Muir Day, exercises stressing the importance that an
ecologically sound natural environment plays in the quality of life
for all of us, and emphasizing John Muir's significant contributions
to the fostering of that awareness and the indelible mark he left on
the State of California.
   (3) On California Poppy Day, exercises honoring the California
Poppy, including instruction about native plants, particularly the
California Poppy, and the economic and aesthetic value of
wildflowers; promoting responsible behavior toward our natural
resources and a spirit of protection toward them; and emphasizing the
value of natural resources and conservation of natural resources.

   (4) On Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day, exercises recognizing
the contributions of all those involved in the Vietnam War and
remembering the sacrifices they made for their country. 
   (c) It is the intent of the Legislature that the exercises
encouraged in this section be integrated into the regular school
program, and be conducted by the school or institution within the
amount otherwise budgeted for educational programs.
   SEC. 3.    Section 6715 is added to the  
Government Code   , to read:  
   6715.  The Governor shall annually proclaim March 30 as Welcome
Home Vietnam Veterans Day.  
  SECTION 1.    Section 51221.4 of the Education
Code is amended to read:
   51221.4.  (a) The Legislature encourages instruction in the area
of social science, as required pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section
51220, to include instruction on the Vietnam War including the
"Secret War" in Laos and the role of Southeast Asians in that war.
The Legislature encourages this instruction to include, but not be
limited to, a component drawn from personal testimony, especially in
the form of oral or video histories of Southeast Asians who were
involved in the Vietnam War and those men and women who contributed
to the war effort on the homefront. The oral histories used as a part
of the instruction regarding the role of Southeast Asians in the
Vietnam War and the "Secret War" in Laos shall exemplify the personal
sacrifice and courage of the wide range of ordinary citizens who
were called upon to participate and provide intelligence for the
United States. The oral histories shall contain the views and
comments of their subjects regarding the reasons for their
participation in the war. These oral histories also shall solicit
comments from their subjects regarding the aftermath of the war and
the immigration of Southeast Asians to the United States.
   (b) (1) The Legislature encourages the instruction required
pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 51220 to include instruction
on World War II and the role of Filipinos in that war consisting of
an accurate history of the contributions of the Filipino American
veterans who fought courageously in the United States Army for
freedom and democracy in World War II, under the leadership of
General Douglas MacArthur.
   (2) The Legislature further encourages the instruction described
in paragraph (1) to include a component drawn from personal
testimony, especially in the form of oral or video histories of
Filipinos who were involved in World War II and those men and women
who contributed to the war effort on the homefront. The oral
histories used as a part of the instruction regarding the role of
Filipinos in World War II are encouraged to do all of the following:
   (A) Exemplify the personal sacrifice and courage of the wide range
of ordinary citizens who were called upon to participate and to
provide intelligence for the United States.
   (B) Contain the views and comments of their subjects regarding the
reasons for their participation in the war.
   (C) Solicit comments from their subjects regarding the aftermath
of the war and the immigration of Filipinos to the United States.
   (c) This section shall be carried out in a manner that does not
result in the imposition of new duties or programs on the school
district. In that regard, the Legislature finds and declares that
this section does not mandate costs to local agencies or school
districts and that materials used to comply with this section shall
be part of normal curriculum materials purchased by school districts
in their normal course of business and purchasing cycles.