South Carolina General Assembly
121st Session, 2015-2016

Download This Bill in Microsoft Word format

A192, R199, H3848

STATUS INFORMATION

General Bill
Sponsors: Reps. Huggins, J.E. Smith, McKnight, Jefferson, Hosey, Atwater, Toole, Burns, Herbkersman, Ridgeway, Simrill, Kennedy, Ballentine and Henegan
Document Path: l:\council\bills\agm\18547ab15.docx

Introduced in the House on March 17, 2015
Introduced in the Senate on March 16, 2016
Last Amended on May 11, 2016
Passed by the General Assembly on May 18, 2016
Governor's Action: May 26, 2016, Signed

Summary: SC Founding Principles Act

HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

     Date      Body   Action Description with journal page number
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   3/17/2015  House   Introduced and read first time (House Journal-page 29)
   3/17/2015  House   Referred to Committee on Education and Public Works 
                        (House Journal-page 29)
   3/19/2015  House   Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Kennedy
   3/24/2015  House   Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Ballentine
   3/10/2016  House   Committee report: Favorable with amendment Education and 
                        Public Works (House Journal-page 3)
   3/14/2016          Scrivener's error corrected
   3/15/2016  House   Amended (House Journal-page 29)
   3/15/2016  House   Read second time (House Journal-page 29)
   3/15/2016  House   Roll call Yeas-99  Nays-0 (House Journal-page 30)
   3/16/2016  House   Read third time and sent to Senate (House Journal-page 8)
   3/16/2016          Scrivener's error corrected
   3/16/2016  Senate  Introduced and read first time (Senate Journal-page 6)
   3/16/2016  Senate  Referred to Committee on Education 
                        (Senate Journal-page 6)
   4/14/2016  Senate  Committee report: Favorable with amendment Education 
                        (Senate Journal-page 8)
   5/11/2016  Senate  Committee Amendment Adopted (Senate Journal-page 29)
   5/11/2016  Senate  Read second time (Senate Journal-page 29)
   5/11/2016  Senate  Roll call Ayes-42  Nays-0 (Senate Journal-page 29)
   5/12/2016  Senate  Read third time and returned to House with amendments 
                        (Senate Journal-page 11)
   5/18/2016  House   Concurred in Senate amendment and enrolled 
                        (House Journal-page 74)
   5/18/2016  House   Roll call Yeas-112  Nays-0 (House Journal-page 74)
   5/24/2016          Ratified R 199
   5/26/2016          Signed By Governor
    6/1/2016          Effective date 05/26/16
    6/3/2016          Act No. 192

View the latest legislative information at the website

VERSIONS OF THIS BILL

3/17/2015
3/10/2016
3/14/2016
3/15/2016
3/16/2016
4/14/2016
5/11/2016


(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

(A192, R199, H3848)

AN ACT TO AMEND THE CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, TO ENACT THE "SOUTH CAROLINA FOUNDING PRINCIPLES ACT" BY ADDING SECTION 59-29-155 SO AS TO PROVIDE THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION AND EDUCATION OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE SHALL INCORPORATE INSTRUCTION ON CERTAIN FOUNDING PRINCIPLES OF THE UNITED STATES INTO REQUIRED STUDIES OF THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION AND THE SOUTH CAROLINA SOCIAL STUDIES STANDARDS, TO SPECIFY CERTAIN MINIMUM CONTENT REQUIREMENTS, TO PROVIDE THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION BIENNIALLY SHALL REPORT ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS ACT TO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, AND TO PROVIDE THE DEPARTMENT SHALL OFFER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES REGARDING FOUNDING PRINCIPLES INSTRUCTION TO TEACHERS.

Whereas, the United States of America is currently celebrating the 239th year of its independence and the 228th year of its people living free under the United States Constitution, the greatest governing principles ever written; and

Whereas, it is the obligation and responsibility of every United States citizen to understand the importance of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Federalist Papers, and other documents that set forth and explain the principles of federalism, a governing system whereby the states and the federal government share responsibility for governing, and understand the rights of the people to private property, due process, and other inalienable rights; and

Whereas, the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution provides that "[t]he powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the State respectively, or to the people"; and

Whereas, the preservation of our great nation depends on strict adherence to the Tenth Amendment and other principles that protect the states and the people from overzealous acts of all branches of the federal government; and

Whereas, many preeminent legal scholars and jurists, including Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, have observed that "Congress will nibble away at state sovereignty, bit by bit, until someday essentially nothing is left but a gutted shell"; and

Whereas, understanding the proper role and the limitations of government have been a recurring issue for our courts throughout the history of our nation; and

Whereas, every state has constitutional requirements for the education of the children of the state; and

Whereas, many states recognize the importance of complying with its constitutional mandate of education by enacting laws that require graduating students to have a working knowledge of this country's Founding Principles; and

Whereas, as stated by Patrick Henry, "No free government, or the blessings of liberty, can be preserved to any people [but] by a frequent recurrence to fundamental principles"; and

Whereas, educating our children on the Founding Principles of our nation is crucial to the continuance of our free Republic. Now, therefore,

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

Citation

SECTION    1.    This act is known and may be cited as the "South Carolina Founding Principles Act".

Founding principles instruction required, reporting requirements, professional development

SECTION    2.    Article 1, Chapter 29, Title 59 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:

"Section 59-29-155.    (A)    The State Board of Education and Education Oversight Committee shall incorporate instruction on the founding principles that shaped the United States into the required study of the United States Constitution as provided in Section 59-29-120, and the South Carolina Social Studies Standards upon the next cyclical review. The board and committee shall include, at a minimum, the Federalist Papers and instruction on the structure of government and the role of the separation of powers and the freedoms guaranteed by the Bill of Rights to the United States Constitution.

(B)    The State Department of Education biennially shall submit a report by October fifteenth of each odd-numbered year, commencing in 2017, to the Senate Education Committee and the House Education and Public Works Committee documenting the implementation of this section.

(C)    The State Department of Education shall make available professional development opportunities to teachers regarding subsection (A) by physical or electronic means."

Time effective

SECTION    3.    This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

Ratified the 24th day of May, 2016.

Approved the 26th day of May, 2016.

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This web page was last updated on June 28, 2016 at 3:40 PM