2017 -- S 0633 SUBSTITUTE A

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2017

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO EDUCATION -- CIVIC EDUCATION COMMISSION

     

     Introduced By: Senators Gallo, DiPalma, Satchell, Pearson, and Metts

     Date Introduced: March 29, 2017

     Referred To: Senate Education

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

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     SECTION 1. Sections 16-2.1-1 and 16-2.1-2 of the General Laws in Chapter 16-2.1

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entitled "Civic Education Commission" are hereby amended to read as follows:

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     16-2.1-1. Civic education commission.

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     There is hereby created a permanent commission to be known as the Rhode Island

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Permanent Commission on Civic Education to consist of twenty-four (24) twenty-one (21)

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members; three (3) of whom shall be from the house of representatives, not more than two (2)

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from the same political party, to be appointed by the speaker; three (3) of whom shall be from the

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senate, not more than two (2) from the same political party, to be appointed by the senate

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president; one of whom shall be the Rhode Island secretary of state, or designee; two (2) of whom

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shall be teachers or representatives of teachers, one of whom shall be a member of the National

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Education Association of Rhode Island, to be appointed by the speaker, and one of whom shall be

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a member of the American Federation of Teachers, to be appointed by the senate president; one

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of whom shall be a member of the Superintendent's Association, or Principal's Association, to be

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appointed by the speaker; one of whom shall be the director of the Rhode Island Historical

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Society, or designee; one of whom shall be the Rhode Island state archivist, or designee; one of

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whom shall be the commissioner of elementary and secondary education, or designee; one of

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whom shall be the commissioner of postsecondary education, or designee; one of whom shall be

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the director of legislative press and public information bureau, or designee; one of whom shall be

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from the Rhode Island Black Heritage Society, to be appointed by the speaker; one of whom shall

 

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be from the Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island to be appointed by the senate

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president; and one of whom shall be a school librarian/media specialist to be appointed by the

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speaker; one of whom shall be a teacher at a parochial/private school institution to be appointed

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by the speaker; one of whom shall be the director of museum and program at the Rhode Island

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Heritage Harbor Museum Foundation, or designee; one of whom shall be the director of Rhode

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Island Committee Council for the Humanities, or designee; one of whom shall be the director of

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the Pell Center for International Relations and Public Policy, or designee; one of whom shall be

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the director of the Rhode Island Latino Civic Fund Progreso Latino, or designee; and one of

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whom shall be the executive director of the Civics First Organization, or designee; and one of

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whom shall be the director of the Center for Civic Education, or designee.

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     16-2.1-2. Powers and duties.

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     (a) The commission is empowered to appoint committees to study specialized areas of

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concern and to report their findings and recommendations to the commission; provided, however,

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that one of these committees shall be a Rhode Island history committee.

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     (b) All departments and agencies of the state shall furnish advice and information,

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documentary and otherwise, to the commission and its agents as may be necessary or desirable to

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facilitate the purposes of this chapter.

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     (c) The commission shall report its findings and/or recommendations to the speaker of

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the house of representatives, the senate majority leader president, and the commission

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commissioner of elementary and secondary education.

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     (d) Nine (9) Eight (8) members of the commission shall constitute a quorum.

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     (e) The commission shall meet at least four (4) two (2) times per year.

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     SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N   A C T

RELATING TO EDUCATION -- CIVIC EDUCATION COMMISSION

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     This act would alter the membership, reporting protocol, and meeting requirements of the

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civic education commission.

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     This act would take effect upon passage.

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