SENATE, No. 340

SECTION 1. Chapter 6 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 15ZZZZ, inserted by section 2 of the acts of 2005, the following section:- --

Section 15AAAAA. The governor shall annually issue a proclamation setting apart October 19 as Massachusetts History Day, in recognition of the convening of the first session of the Massachusetts general court, and recommending that this day shall be observed in an appropriate manner by the people.

SECTION 2. (a) There shall be a special commission on civic engagement and learning consisting of: 3 members of the senate, 1 of whom shall be the senate chairperson of the joint committee on education, 1 of whom shall be a member of the majority party to be appointed by the president of the senate and 1 of whom shall be a member of the minority party to be appointed by the minority leader of the senate; 3 members of the house of representatives, 1 of whom shall be the house chairperson of the joint committee on education, 1 of whom shall be a member of the majority party to be appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives and 1 of whom shall be a member of the minority party to be appointed by the minority leader of the house of representatives; the director of the legislative education office of the general court , or his designee; the chancellor of the board of higher education, or his designee; the commissioner of the department of education, or his designee; the president of the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, or his designee; the president of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, or his designee; the president of the Massachusetts Teachers Association, or his designee; the president of the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Federation of Teachers, or his designee; the president of the Massachusetts Council for the Social Studies, or his designee; the president of the Massachusetts League of Women Voters, or his designee; the president of the Massachusetts Bar Association, or his designee; the Massachusetts state coordinator of the Center for Civic Education; a representative of local government appointed by the Massachusetts Municipal Association; a representative of the judicial branch appointed by the chief administrative justice of the trial court; and 6 members appointed by the governor, 1 of whom shall be the dean of a school of education or chair of a department of education skilled in the preparation of teachers, 1 of whom shall have expertise in adult education, 1 of whom shall be a scholar in the field of civic education, 1 of whom shall have expertise in curriculum development with special emphasis on civic learning, 1 of whom shall have expertise in the field of civic engagement of youth, and 1 of whom shall have expertise in service learning.

(b) The co-chairpersons of the special commission shall be a member of the senate designated by the senate president and a member of the house designated by the speaker of the house of representatives.  The organizational session of the commission shall be convened by the co-chairpersons once the members of the commission have been appointed, but not later than 60 days after the effective date of this act whether or not all of the gubernatorial appointees have been appointed and qualified.

(c) The special commission shall make an investigation and study of the status of civic engagement and learning in the commonwealth including, but not limited to: (1) an assessment of the status of civic education in the commonwealth from kindergarten through high school and undergraduate college education with particular attention to compliance by agencies of public education and public higher education with section 2 of chapter 71 and section 2A of chapter 73 of the General Laws; including an assessment of the civic knowledge of graduates of the public high schools of the commonwealth; (2) an investigation of the opportunities available to the students of the commonwealth for service learning that develops an understanding of the relationship of those experiences with democratic government and a review of programs that teach civic engagement knowledge and skills that are essential to the development of active citizens; (3) an investigation of the status of public and private programs that promote civic engagement and learning including, but not limited to Massachusetts History Day, established pursuant to this act and Massachusetts Student Government Day, established pursuant to section 12M of chapter 6 of the General Laws; and how those programs could be enhanced or expanded through cooperation among themselves and with other entities such as schools and colleges, and through additional resources from public or private sources to be more effective and generally available to a larger number of students or the population at large; (4) an assessment of best practices in civic education in the United States that could serve as models for improving civic engagement and learning in the commonwealth; (5) an assessment of the implementation of the history and social studies curriculum frameworks by the department of education and the school districts of the commonwealth, including recommendations for the development and assessment of practical skills for civic engagement that are complementary to the knowledge based aspects of the frameworks; (6) an assessment of the need for a permanent entity students to promote civic engagement by a responsible citizenry and to encourage the building of partnerships to enhance the teaching and learning of the principles of representative democracy in the commonwealth; and (7) any other matters that the special commission considers relevant to the fulfillment of its mission and purpose.

(d) The special commission may conduct public hearings appropriate to gathering information and to raising the civic awareness of the people of the commonwealth, including the sponsorship of 1 or more statewide or regional conferences involving educators, students, or the public at large. The department of education and the board of higher education shall provide staff and other resources as the commission and those agencies consider appropriate. The special commission shall make its final report to the joint committee on education, including recommendations for legislation or other appropriate measures as it considers necessary, not later than November 1, 2008, and may make interim reports as it considers appropriate.” ; and

by inserting before the enacting clause the following Emergency Preamble:-

“ Whereas , The deferred operation of this act would tend to defeat its purpose, which is forthwith to designate the annual observance of Massachusetts History Day and establish a special commission on civic engagement and learning, therefore it is hereby declared to be an emergency law, necessary for the immediate preservation of the public convenience.”