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118th Congress Education

H.R. 703: Black History is American History Act

Introduced

  1. Introduced (completed)Feb 1, 2023
  2. Passed House (not reached)
  3. Passed Senate (not reached)
  4. To the President (not reached)
  5. Became law (not reached)

Summary

Introduced in House, Feb 1, 2023

This bill requires entities (e.g., institutions of higher education, libraries, and museums), in order to be eligible for certain grants administered by the Department of Education (ED), to include Black history in their teaching of American history. It also requires Black history to be included in tests administered by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).

Specifically, the bill mandates the inclusion of Black history as a required component of American history for such entities to be eligible for American History and Civics Academies' competitive grants. These grants support the establishment of (1) Presidential Academies for Teachers of American History and Civics, which offer workshops to teachers of American history and civics to strengthen their knowledge and prepare them to teach in these subjects; and (2) Congressional Academies for Students of American History and Civics, which support high school students in developing an understanding of these subjects. (Currently, Black history is not a required component of American history for either academy.)

In addition, ED must give priority to grant applicants that align their activities with programs and resources of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African American History and Culture.

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The bill also requires the inclusion of Black history in tests administered by the NAEP, which measures student academic achievement in various subjects.

Written by the Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress.

Roll calls

0 votes on this bill

No roll call votes have been held on this bill.

Amendments

0 offered

No amendments were offered to this bill.

Cosponsors

69

Who scored on this bill

12 points earned
  1. 1Joyce Beatty D-OH SponsorReached a cosponsor milestone, introduced3 events+12
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Introductions and cosponsorships count toward weekly caps and show no points.

Other bills by Joyce Beatty

History

  1. Feb 1, 2023Introduced in the House by Joyce Beatty.
Show the full action history (2 actions)
  1. Feb 1, 2023Introduced in House
  2. Feb 1, 2023Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.