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Urdahl




Dear Neighbor,

It looks like a working weekend is in store at the Capitol as the Legislature works to wrap up business before we are scheduled to adjourn on Monday.

Most of the omnibus finance bills that will shape the state's next two-year budget have received approval in the House and the remaining few should be nailed down in the coming days. I will take a closer look at the overall package once the pieces are in place.

But, for now, I want to mention legislation I authored to re-emphasize civics in our schools is one step from becoming law.

My proposal requires civics to be offered as a course for credit to Minnesota high school juniors or seniors. It was included in this year?s final omnibus education package (H.F. 2497), which this week received approval by both the House and the Senate and has been presented to Gov. Tim Walz for enactment.

A de-emphasis of civics in schools throughout the nation has contributed to an erosion of knowledge on the subject. Current reports show fewer than one in four Minnesota high school graduates are proficient in their knowledge of government, necessitating action.

We have learned if civics is not a requirement in schools, it is not taught. And if civics is not taught, you end up with more and more citizens lacking a basic understanding of how our government functions. There already is evidence this is undermining our constitutional republic and we owe it to our future generations to stem this trend.

My proposal helps to ensure our students will have a functioning knowledge of civics as they graduate high school and transition into more advanced roles in society and government. That will go a long way to preserving the foundation of our state.

Having spent the last seven years working to advance civics legislation, there is a lesson in this, and that is to be persistent if you believe you can make things happen. We?ve worked on this proposal through Democrat and Republican majorities alike and I?m thankful that, in this bill, it?s finally there, because it?s needed. The National Assessment of Educational Progress shows we dipped another two points in the proficiency of civics education in Minnesota ? we?re now at 22 percent and that is unacceptable.

Another education provision I authored to mitigate student violence received preliminary approval from the House but did not survive a conference committee that put the package in final form.

There are violent episodes where staff and teachers are victims and my provision would have provided reasonable resolution. My proposal didn?t stick with this bill, but this problem needs to be addressed and I hope we can do that soon. Our teachers and staff deserve to have protections in place.

Have a good weekend and, as always, please stay in touch.

Sincerely,

Dean






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State Rep. Dean Urdahl
279 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd
St. Paul, MN 55155
[email protected]
(651) 296-4344







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