Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Civics Education Charlie Act topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee approves civics funding bill that bars grant priorities tied to 'discriminatory equity ideology' after partisan debate
Summary
The committee reported HR8705 (the 'Charlie Act'), which would restrict Elementary and Secondary Education Act civics grant priorities the bill labels 'discriminatory equity ideology' or 'gender ideology,' by a 19–15 vote after extensive debate over censorship and local control.
The House Committee on Education and the Workforce reported HR8705, the Civic and History Advancement to Restore Learning Integrity and Education Act (dubbed by supporters the "Charlie Act"), to the House with amendments and a committee vote of 19–15.
Sponsor Burgess Owens and supporters framed the bill as restoring a civics and history grant program to teaching the Constitution, American history and shared civic principles, and to prevent federal grant priorities from favoring projects they described as "equity ideology" or "gender ideology." "Federal education dollars should help students learn how American government works and prepare them to be responsible citizens, not steer children toward radical political agendas," Owens said.
Democrats criticized the measure as vague, politically motivated and likely to chill teacher training and local curriculum choices. Representative Suzanne Bonamichi (transcript spelling) said the bill "seeks to define what history is taught and how" and warned it risks legal challenges and the chilling of classroom instruction. Other Democrats pressed for explicit clarifications protecting instruction on slavery, immigrant contributions and LGBTQ history; the committee debated and rejected several amendments or postponed roll-call votes on them.
Committee proponents argued that the bill does not ban accurate history but prevents grant-funded training that, in their view, treats students as members of preferred or disfavored groups. Opponents said the terms in the bill could be used to suppress teaching about systemic racism, civil-rights history, or other factual subjects.
The committee adopted the substitute and ordered HR8705 reported. Supporters said their priority is improving civic literacy, citing surveys of civic knowledge; opponents said the committee should instead invest in teacher training and restore Department of Education capacity.
The next steps: HR8705, as amended, will be transmitted to the House; the bill's language and the fate of several defeated or postponed amendments are likely to be focal points for floor debate and potential judicial scrutiny.
