Missouri Civics Education Initiative Passes House by Overwhelming Margin

Presenting the MO Civics Education Initiative on the House floor.

From the Office of

Representative Kathryn Swan

147th District

• • Missouri Civics Education Initiative Passes House by Overwhelming Margin

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Missouri Civics Education Initiative (House bills 1646, 2132, and 1621) passed the Missouri House Thursday with a bi-partisan vote of 145/8. State Representative Kathryn Swan (R-Cape Girardeau) served as the lead sponsor of the bi-partisan effort. Rep. Elijah Haahr (R-Springfield) sponsored HB 1621 and Rep. Jeremy LaFaver (D-Kansas City) sponsored HB 2132.

A nationwide Civics Education Initiative proposes that all high school students, as a condition for graduation, take and pass a test on one-hundred basic facts of U.S. history and civics. Ten states passed the legislation in 2015.

This initiative is a first step to ensure all students are taught basic civics about how our government works and who we are as a nation. Former U.S. Senator Jon Kyle (AZ) is quoted, “The success of our republic depends on an informed and engaged citizenry.”

Students entering the ninth grade after July 1, 2017 would be required to pass an examination on the provisions and principles of American civics, consisting of one hundred questions similar to the one hundred questions used by the USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Service). School districts may choose to include such questions with an existing exam or may administer as a separate test.

Swan says, “By adding American Civics, we are ensuring that important details of American history and civics are covered and that our high school students possess the same basic knowledge as naturalized citizens.”

The bills have been First Read in the Senate.

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