093_HB0201eng HB0201 Engrossed LRB093 04206 NHT 04251 b 1 AN ACT concerning education. 2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, 3 represented in the General Assembly: 4 Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing 5 Section 27-21 as follows: 6 (105 ILCS 5/27-21) (from Ch. 122, par. 27-21) 7 Sec. 27-21. History of United States. 8 (a) History of the United States shall be taught in all 9 public schools and in all other educational institutions in 10 this State supported or maintained, in whole or in part, by 11 public funds. The teaching of history shall have as one of 12 its objectives the imparting to pupils of a comprehensive 13 idea of our democratic form of government and the principles 14 for which our government stands as regards other nations, 15 including the studying of the place of our government in 16 world-wide movements and the leaders thereof, with particular 17 stress upon the basic principles and ideals of our 18 representative form of government. The teaching of history 19 shall include a study of the role and contributions of 20 African Americans and other ethnic groups including but not 21 restricted to Polish, Lithuanian, German, Hungarian, Irish, 22 Bohemian, Russian, Albanian, Italian, Czech, Slovak, French, 23 Scots, Hispanics, etc., in the history of this country and 24 this State. The teaching of history also shall include a 25 study of the role of labor unions and their interaction with 26 government in achieving the goals of a mixed free enterprise 27 system. No pupils shall be graduated from the eighth grade 28 of any public school unless he has received such instruction 29 in the history of the United States and gives evidence of 30 having a comprehensive knowledge thereof. 31 (b) The History of the United States course required as HB0201 Engrossed -2- LRB093 04206 NHT 04251 b 1 a prerequisite to receiving a high school diploma under 2 Section 27-22 of this Code must include a unit of instruction 3 on civics. 4 (Source: P.A. 92-27, eff. 7-1-01.) 5 Section 90. The State Mandates Act is amended by adding 6 Section 8.27 as follows: 7 (30 ILCS 805/8.27 new) 8 Sec. 8.27. Exempt mandate. Notwithstanding Sections 6 9 and 8 of this Act, no reimbursement by the State is required 10 for the implementation of any mandate created by this 11 amendatory Act of the 93rd General Assembly. 12 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect on 13 July 1, 2003.