A Senate resolution seeking changes in the AP history curriculum framework stalled on the last day of the session, another high-profile conservative issue not given a House floor debate.
Unlike the religious freedom bill, though, Senate Resolution 80 made it out of committee in the House but was then withdrawn and recommitted, lost among the crowded House calendar.
A priority of the Senate leadership, SR 80 by Sen. William Ligon, R-Brunswick, took aim at the New York-based College Board, which changed its guidelines for teaching advanced placement history courses for high school students seeking college credits. The resolution asked the State Board of Education to demand that the College Board return to its previous framework, which Ligon said took a more balanced view.
SR 80,claims that framework put into effect this school year “reflects a seemingly biased view of American history that overemphasizes negative aspects of our nation’s history while omitting or minimizing positive aspects.” Ligon’s resolution received heavy media attention earlier in the session as Georgia joined a national conservative outcry against the College Board framework.
College Board officials and academics opposing the new framework appeared at a well-publicized hearing conducted by the House and Senate education committees. A Georgia teacher spoke in favor of the guidelines, which he said allowed for more in-depth discussion.
Ligon, the Senate majority caucus chair, drew attention in the 2014 session for legislation seeking to repeal Common Core education standards in Georgia, a bill that was also defeated. This year, Common Core received little or no notice.
Along with the AP history framework resolution, Common Core likely will re-surface as a hot-button issue in next year’s legislative session, with the 2016 presidential primary and Georgia legislative elections approaching. Sen. Joshua McKoon, R-Columbus, vowed he will fight again next year for his religious freedom legislation, which didn’t get out of the House Judiciary Committee this year.
Legislative stances on Common Core and religious freedom will influence 2016 legislative primary elections, with Republican members concerned about Tea Party opposition. On the Democratic side, support for religious freedom legislation could draw opponents who see the bill as allowing discrimination against gays.
The issues will also influence the presidential primary, with likely Republican candidate Jeb Bush supporting Common Core, and other GOP candidates opposing it. Religious freedom will also draw major attention in the Georgia primary.
A rare Deal loss: Gov. Nathan Deal achieved victory on most of his agenda, but he lost on one priority: Changing the name of the Technical College System of Georgia to the Georgia Career College System.
Deal said the name change better reflected the college’s current mission of educating students for emerging high-tech careers, but retired technical college presidents mobilized against the bill, saying the change would be too costly and cause confusion.
The president of the accrediting Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges also opposed the legislation, saying the money could be better spent on educating students.
As opposition rose, House Bill 315 by Rep. Chad Nimmer, R-Blackshear, one of Deal’s floor leaders, passed the House. But the 122-40 vote was more contentious then expected. The legislation then remained mired in the Senate Higher Education Committee. In this age of rebranding, the long-established name won out.
Alcohol bills bottled up: Those who like a bloody Mary with Sunday morning brunch or a bracing shot before a long Sunday flight were disappointed. The Senate on the second to last day of the session tabled a bill that would have allowed alcohol service from 5 a.m. to midnight Sunday at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. A bill that would have allowed restaurants to begin serving alcohol at 10:30 a.m. on Sundays didn’t make it to the Senate floor. For now, you’ll have to wait until 12:30 p.m. for that Sunday drink with your eggs Benedict.
