Federal Law

[Keith Broaders]

Government Agencies Required to Teach US Constitution

Public Law 108-447 Section 111 of Title I, Division J, of the Fiscal Year 2005 Consolidated Appropriations Act, enacted into law on December 8, 2004, instructs each Federal agency to provide educational materials concerning the United States Constitution to each employee on September 17 of each year.

With the President’s signature on December 8, 2004, the Consolidated Appropriations Bill was signed and became Public Law 108-447. It funds a major portion of the federal government for another year. Hidden deep inside the 3,000 page document is the following verbiage inserted by the suggestion of a senator’s education policy advisor:

SEC. 111. (a) The head of each Federal agency or department shall-

(1) provide each new employee of the agency or department with educational and training materials concerning the United States Constitution as part of the orientation materials provided to the new employee; and
(2) provide educational and training materials concerning the United States Constitution to each employee of the agency or department on September 17 of each year.
(b) Each educational institution that receives Federal funds for a fiscal year shall hold an educational program on the United States Constitution on September 17 of such year for the students served by the educational institution.
It also provided that the designation of September 17th be changed from Citizenship Day to “Constitution Day".

This Federal Law requires every school and government entity which receives federal money to instigate a program to teach the Constitution. Failure to comply could result in government entities losing their Federal funding.

This law needs to be enforced and every school board member in the United States needs to be aware the provisions found in Public Law 108-447.

School Districts found out of compliance face the possibility of losing their Federal funding. We need a volunteer in each of the school districts in the United States to demonstrate that they are in compliance.