BILL ANALYSIS �
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 1915|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 1915
Author: Nazarian (D), et al.
Amended: 8/22/14 in Senate
Vote: 21
SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE : 7-0, 6/18/14
AYES: Liu, Wyland, Block, Correa, Hancock, Huff, Monning
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : 5-0, 8/14/14
AYES: De Le�n, Hill, Lara, Padilla, Steinberg
NO VOTE RECORDED: Walters, Gaines
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 77-0, 5/28/14 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : History-social science: Armenian genocide
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill enacts the Armenian Genocide Education Act
and provides that the instruction in human rights issues may
also include particular attention to the study of the inhumanity
of the Armenian genocide.
Senate Floor Amendments of 8/22/14 add double-jointing language
to avoid chaptering conflicts with SB 1380 (Wyland) and add a
definition in provisions relating to the social science course
of study for grades 7-12.
ANALYSIS : Academic content standards define the knowledge,
concepts, and skills that students should acquire at each grade
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level. Curricular frameworks are the blueprint for implementing
the standards, and include criteria by which instructional
materials are evaluated.
History-social science framework . The history-social science
framework was last adopted in 2005. A review of this framework
was underway and nearly complete when the state suspended the
process due to budget constraints. The process for reviewing
frameworks has been suspended since July 28, 2009. The State
Board of Education (SBE) is specifically prohibited from
reviewing frameworks and adopting instructional materials until
the 2015-16 school year. However, the SBE is authorized to
revise the history-social science framework but only upon
completion of work related to the development of frameworks for
the common core standards in English language arts and
mathematics.
Course of study . Existing law requires the adopted course of
study for grades 7-12 to include, among other subjects, social
sciences. This instruction is to provide a foundation for
understanding, among other topics and events, human rights
issues with particular attention to the study of the inhumanity
of genocide, slavery, and the Holocaust.
Materials for teachers . Existing law requires the Department of
Education (CDE) to incorporate, into publications that provide
examples of curriculum resources for teachers, materials that
are age-appropriate and consistent with the history-social
science framework that deal with civil rights, human rights
violations, genocide, slavery, and the Holocaust.
Model curriculum . Existing law requires the Model Curriculum
for Human Rights and Genocide, adopted by the SBE, to be made
available to schools serving grades 7-12 when funding is
available, and requires the Model Curriculum to be available on
CDE's Internet Web site.
This bill enacts the Armenian Genocide Education Act, and
provides that the instruction in human rights issues may also
include particular attention to the study of the inhumanity of
the Armenian genocide. Specifically, this bill:
1.Encourages CDE to incorporate materials relating to the
Armenian, Cambodian, Darfur, and Rwandan genocides into
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publications that provide examples of curriculum resources,
consistent with the subject frameworks on history and social
science.
2.Requires the Instructional Quality Commission (IQC) to
consider including the Armenian, Cambodian, Darfur, and
Rwandan genocides in the recommended history-social science
curriculum framework when the history-social science
curriculum framework is revised as required by law.
3.Specifies that the Legislature encourages the incorporation of
survivor, rescuer, liberator, and witness oral testimony, as
defined, into the teaching of human rights, the Holocaust, and
genocide, including the Armenian, Cambodian, Darfur, and
Rwandan genocides.
4.Adds double-jointing language to avoid chaptering conflicts
with SB 1380 (Wyland).
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
According to the Senate Appropriations Committee, several
provisions of this bill encourage activities or the
consideration of activities by CDE. This creates substantial
cost pressure for CDE to complete those activities, the cost of
which will be:
Curriculum: Approximately $150,000 (General Fund) in costs to
CDE to review curriculum and incorporate materials relating to
the Armenian genocide into publications that provide examples
of curriculum resources.
History-Social Science Framework: Likely minor costs to the
IQC and CDE to incorporate the genocide in Darfur into the
next revision of the history-social science framework.
Professional development: Approximately $125,000 (General
Fund) in costs to CDE to develop an online learning module to
provide teachers with content background and resources
including survivor, rescuer, liberator, and witness testimony
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in the specified areas.
SUPPORT : (Unable to verify at time of writing)
Los Angeles Unified School District
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 77-0, 5/28/14
AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Allen, Ammiano, Bigelow, Bloom,
Bocanegra, Bonilla, Bonta, Bradford, Brown, Buchanan, Ian
Calderon, Campos, Chau, Ch�vez, Chesbro, Conway, Cooley,
Dababneh, Dahle, Daly, Dickinson, Donnelly, Eggman, Fong, Fox,
Beth Gaines, Garcia, Gatto, Gomez, Gonzalez, Gordon, Gorell,
Gray, Grove, Hagman, Hall, Harkey, Roger Hern�ndez, Holden,
Jones, 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-Silva, Rendon, Ridley-Thomas,
Rodriguez, Salas, Skinner, Stone, Ting, Wagner, Waldron,
Weber, Wieckowski, Wilk, Williams, Yamada, Atkins
NO VOTE RECORDED: Frazier, Quirk, Vacancy
PQ:e 8/25/14 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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