BILL ANALYSIS
AB 717
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ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB 717 (Cook and Ma)
As Amended April 20, 2009
Majority vote
EDUCATION 10-0
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|Ayes:|Brownley, Nestande, | | |
| |Ammiano, Arambula, | | |
| |Buchanan, Carter, Eng, | | |
| |Miller, Solorio, | | |
| |Torlakson | | |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Expresses the encouragement of the Legislature that
instruction in social science includes the role of Filipinos in
World War II. Specifically, this bill :
1)Encourages the instruction to include an accurate history of
the contributions of the Filipino American veterans who fought
courageously in the United States (U.S.) Army for freedom and
democracy in World War II, under the leadership of General
Douglas MacArthur.
2)Encourages the instruction 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. Encourages the oral histories to include 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 U.S.;
b) Contain the views and comments regarding the reasons for
their participation in the war; and,
c) Comments regarding the aftermath of the war and the
immigration of Filipinos to the U.S.
EXISTING LAW :
AB 717
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1)Requires instruction on World War II, the War in Vietnam, and
the "Secret War" in Laos.
2)Encourages, under the existing course of study for
history/social science grades 7-12, the inclusion of
instruction on the Vietnam War, the "Secret War" in Laos, and
the role of Southeast Asians in those wars.
3)Encourages instruction in the causes, battles, and outcomes of
World War II, including personal testimony from individuals
involved in those wars.
4)Stipulates that instructional programs be carried out in a
manner that does not result in any new programs or duties
imposed on school districts.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Legislative Counsel, this bill
is non-fiscal.
COMMENTS : This bill simply encourages the instruction in social
science to include an accurate history of the contributions of
the Filipino American veterans in the U.S. Army for freedom and
democracy in World War II, under the leadership of General
Douglas MacArthur. When the U.S. entered World War II, the
Philippines was a territory of the U.S. Filipino soldiers and
their survivors did not enjoy the same benefits as other
soldiers, and their contributions to the war effort are largely
unrecognized.
This bill is identical to AB 3084 (Cook and Ma), which was
vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger in 2008 with the following
message: "While I respect the author's intent to recognize the
role of Filipinos who fought courageously in World War II, I
have consistently vetoed legislation that has attempted to
include specific details or events into areas of instruction.
The State Board of Education adopted content standards are
developed by a diverse group of experts and are intentionally
broad in order to allow coverage of various events,
developments, and issues. I continue to believe that the State
should establish rigorous academic standards and frameworks, but
refrain from being overly prescriptive in specific school
curriculum."
The author states, "With AB 717, we can help ensure that our
children and future generations learn of the contributions and
AB 717
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sacrifice of the brave Filipino soldiers of World War II. AB
717 is simple: It expresses the encouragement of the Legislature
that instruction in social sciences includes the role of
Filipinos in World War II. It does not mandate instruction.
"While similar bills have incurred the Governor's veto in the
past, the Governor's prior resistance does not diminish the
importance of this issue. With every passing year, we have
fewer remaining Filipino World War II veterans. Time is of the
essence. Support for this bill is critical to the legacy of
these soldiers."
The Asian Americans for Civil Rights & Equality (AACRE) notes
that it is critical for California's diverse student body to
have access to education about the contributions of Asian and
Asian Pacific Islander Americans throughout history.
This bill and variations of it, have been introduced four other
times, including AB 3084. AB 72 (Dymally) was vetoed by the
Governor in 2007, AB 15 (Jerome Horton) was vetoed in 2005, and
AB 2512 (Jerome Horton) was vetoed in 2004.
Analysis Prepared by : Sophia Kwong Kim / ED. / (916) 319-2087
FN: 0000358