BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �



                                                                            



           ----------------------------------------------------------------- 
          |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE            |                       ACR 154|
          |Office of Senate Floor Analyses   |                              |
          |1020 N Street, Suite 524          |                              |
          |(916) 651-1520         Fax: (916) |                              |
          |327-4478                          |                              |
           ----------------------------------------------------------------- 
           
                                           
                                    THIRD READING


          Bill No:  ACR 154
          Author:   Gray (D), et al.
          Amended:  As introduced
          Vote:     21

           
           ASSEMBLY FLOOR  :  77-0, 6/16/14 (Consent) - See last page for  
            vote


           SUBJECT  :    Modesto City Schools:  World Geography-World  
          Religion class

           SOURCE  :     Author


           DIGEST  :    This resolution acknowledges the Modesto City Schools  
          initiative and achievement in teaching the unique World  
          Geography-World Religion course as a grade 9 requirement and  
          recommends that this course be considered for adoption by other  
          school districts in the state. 

           ANALYSIS  :    This resolution makes the following legislative  
          findings: 

          1.Identifies similar ideas within the United States Declaration  
            of Independence and the Holy Sikh Scriptures, and recognizes  
            Sikhism as the fifth largest world religion after  
            Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism, with 25 million  
            followers. 

          2.Declares that Sikhism was founded in Northwestern India by  
            Guru Nanak (1469-1539) and is not a branch of another  
                                                                CONTINUED





                                                                    ACR 154
                                                                     Page  
          2

            religion, and that Sikhs now have global distribution with  
            gurdwaras in more than 72 countries, and that large numbers of  
            Americans are physically or psychologically attacked on the  
            basis of their race, skin color, ethnicity, physical or mental  
            abilities, sexual orientation, sex, gender identity, religion,  
            culture, or age.  Furthermore, finds that turban-wearing Sikh  
            children experience bullying at more than double the national  
            rate. 

          3.Recognizes the set of principles presented by the 115-member  
            Community Safe Schools Committee of Modesto in 1998 that  
            affirmed respect for all. Since that time, the Modesto City  
            Schools has engaged in the nation's most direct experiment in  
            using the public school curriculum to promote respect for  
            religious freedom and diversity through its World  
            Geography-World Religion class.  Also, finds that the World  
            Geography-World Religion class examines the geographical  
            location, history, culture, and major beliefs of Hinduism,  
            Buddhism, Sikhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, stresses  
            nine character traits that include courage, honesty, loyalty,  
            respect, responsibility, civility, compassion, initiative and  
            perseverance, and teaches pupils how to make appropriate  
            comments without offending other pupils. 

          4.Suggests that Modesto City Schools is perhaps the only school  
            district in the state that requires all pupils to learn about  
            and understand world religions. 

          This resolution acknowledges the Modesto City Schools'  
          initiative and achievement in teaching the unique World  
          Geography-World Religion course as a grade 9 requirement and  
          recommends that this course be considered for adoption by other  
          school districts in the state.

           FISCAL EFFECT  :    Fiscal Com.:  No


           ASSEMBLY FLOOR  :  77-0, 6/16/14
          AYES:  Achadjian, Alejo, Allen, Ammiano, Bloom, Bocanegra,  
            Bonilla, Bonta, Bradford, Brown, Buchanan, Ian Calderon,  
            Campos, Chau, Ch�vez, Chesbro, Conway, Cooley, Dababneh,  
            Dahle, Daly, Dickinson, Donnelly, Eggman, Fong, Fox, Frazier,  
            Beth Gaines, Garcia, Gatto, Gomez, Gonzalez, Gordon, Gorell,  
            Gray, Hagman, Hall, Harkey, Roger Hern�ndez, Holden, Jones,  







                                                                    ACR 154
                                                                     Page  
          3

            Jones-Sawyer, Levine, Linder, Logue, Lowenthal, Maienschein,  
            Mansoor, Medina, Melendez, Mullin, Muratsuchi, Nazarian,  
            Nestande, Olsen, Pan, Patterson, Perea, John A. P�rez, V.  
            Manuel P�rez, Quirk, Quirk-Silva, Rendon, Ridley-Thomas,  
            Rodriguez, Salas, Skinner, Stone, Ting, Wagner, Waldron,  
            Weber, Wieckowski, Wilk, Williams, Yamada, Atkins
          NO VOTE RECORDED:  Bigelow, Grove, Vacancy


          PQ:nl  6/18/14   Senate Floor Analyses 

                         SUPPORT/OPPOSITION:  NONE RECEIVED

                                   ****  END  ****