HBA-JEK, MPM H.B. 127 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 127 By: West, George "Buddy" Public Education 3/12/2001 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Under current law, students are not required to recite the Declaration of Independence of the United States (Declaration) at school. As the Declaration reflects the ideals upon which this nation was founded, understanding the document may lead to a fuller understanding of our nation's history. House Bill 127 requires students to recite selected text from the Declaration at the beginning of each school day. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. ANALYSIS House Bill 127 amends the Education Code to require school districts to require students to recite the following text from the Declaration of Independence of the United States at the beginning of each school day: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness - that to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed." The bill requires a district to excuse a student from recitation of this text upon a written request from the student's parent or guardian. EFFECTIVE DATE On passage, or if the Act does not receive the necessary vote, the Act takes effect September 1, 2001. This Act applies beginning with the 2001-2002 school year.