Establishes a grant program in the department of education to develop K-12 lesson plans, curriculum, and other educational materials for civic responsibility. Appropriates funds to DOE for social studies textbooks to support civic responsibility, science textbooks, and to the grant program.

A BILL FOR AN ACT

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that our democratic process is based upon citizen participation. The founders of our nation agreed that democracy could only be maintained though an educated and informed citizenry. The legislature further finds Hawaii school children should understand the electoral process and possess a sense of civic responsibility that will hopefully carry forward into their adulthood. It is imperative to encourage and support educational programs that will educate Hawaii's youngest citizens about state government and the state legislative process. The legislature further finds that requiring that the civic responsibility of students be assessed and tracked will enhance educational accountability.

The purpose of this Act is to:

SECTION 2. Chapter 302A, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

"§302A-   Civic responsibility education grant program. (a) The department shall develop and implement a grant program to encourage civic responsibility education in public schools. Expenditures shall be subject to the allotment and expenditure plan required under section 37-34.5.

(b) Grants shall be for the purposes of funding civic responsibility education lesson plans, curriculum, and other related educational materials; provided that all such materials shall be aligned within the school complex.

(c) The board shall establish and appoint the members of a grant award panel, which shall consist of at least one representative from each of the following groups:

The panel shall include a representative from each school district among its members.

The panel shall review proposals and make recommendations to the superintendent on grant awards. Panel members shall serve for a term of two years without compensation, but shall be entitled to reimbursement for necessary expenses while attending meetings and while in the discharge of their duties. A portion of the moneys appropriated for the grants, not to exceed one per cent, shall be used to offset the expenses incurred by the review panel.

(d) The panel shall develop a process for submitting proposals.

(e) All proposals for civic responsibility education grants shall include:

(f) The panel shall assist the superintendent in the evaluation of all grant programs under this section on a continuing basis. If an approved program fails to meet the requirements of its proposal, the panel shall recommend to the superintendent that funding for the grant shall be terminated.

(g) The superintendent shall submit a report to the legislature on the operations of the review panel at least twenty days before the convening of each regular session."

SECTION 3. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $100,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2005-2006, for the civic responsibility education grant program.

The sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of education for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 4. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $2,500,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2005-2006, to purchase social studies textbooks for schools; provided that the school complex provides a plan or makes a declaration to the department of education evidencing the importance of civic responsibility and lists the textbooks and other learning materials needed to educate students about civic responsibility; and further provided that the civic responsibility curriculum is aligned within the school complex.

The sums appropriated shall be expended by the department of education for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 5. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $2,500,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2005-2006, to purchase science textbooks and other science learning materials for schools; provided that the science curriculum is aligned within the school complex.

The sums appropriated shall be expended by the department of education for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 6. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 7. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2005.