William Hughes: “I rise in strong support of title III of H.R. 6, particularly the Civic Education Program. As my colleagues know, the…”

“I rise in strong support of title III of H.R. 6, particularly the Civic Education Program. As my colleagues know, the Civic Education Program called We the People, the Citizen and the Constitution teaches students about the history and principles of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and fosters a greater understanding of the importance of civic responsibility and public service. Enacted by Congress in 1985, the Civic Education Program is now implemented in every State and congressional district in the Nation. The lessons of good citizenship and democratic values, which we all hold dear, have reached an estimated 40,000 schools, 100,000 teachers, and 20,000 young Americans in the classroom. Under H.R. 6 this program is reauthorized and expanded to establish assistance to schools in the broader context of civic government and law. Activities and course instruction carried out through this program will involve students in subject matter such as the rights and responsibilities of citizenship, and encouragement of nonviolent means of conflict resolution such as arbitration, mediation, and negotiation. Our society is already paying the monetary and social costs attributed to a generation of youth who have not received an adequate education in civics and social responsibility.”