HOUSE BILL REPORT

                 ESHB 1724

                       As Passed House

                      February 14, 1994

Title:  An act relating to sexual abstinence instructional material.

Brief Description:  Requiring the superintendent of public instruction to develop and make available instructional material on sexual abstinence.

Sponsors:  By House Committee on Education (originally sponsored by Representatives Kremen, Morris, Quall, Chandler, Rayburn, Springer, Edmondson, Mastin, Kessler, Finkbeiner, Grant, Dorn, Basich, Zellinsky, Ludwig, Campbell, Lemmon, Brough, Tate, Casada, Wood, Foreman, Holm, Roland, Fuhrman, Stevens, Sheahan, Schoesler, Long and Lisk).

Brief History:

  Reported by House Committee on:

Education, March 2, 1993, DPS;

Passed House, March 17, 1993, 98-0;

  Passed House, February 14, 1994, 92-0.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

Majority Report:  The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass.  Signed by 19 members:  Representatives Dorn, Chair; Cothern, Vice Chair; Brough, Ranking Minority Member; Thomas, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Brumsickle; Carlson; G. Cole; Eide; G. Fisher; Hansen; Holm; Jones; Karahalios; J. Kohl; Patterson; Pruitt; Roland; Stevens; and Vance.

Staff:  Robert Butts (786-7111).

Background:  Having a child while a teenager makes obtaining a quality education extremely difficult, and often leads to school failure for the mother and future personal and economic hardship for both the mother and the child.  Also, the lives and health of sexually active adolescents are at risk due to the increasing number of young people infected with the HIV virus and other sexually transmitted diseases.

Summary of Bill:  The Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) is directed to publicize and make available to school districts a listing of the instructional materials available that give substantial emphasis and encouragement to sexual abstinence as the most effective means, method, and strategy for preventing pregnancy.  The purpose of publicizing the material is to share available material to help students resist the social and peer pressures to become sexually active.

Fiscal Note:  Requested February 22, 1993.

Effective Date:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For:  Sexual abstinence instruction programs have been shown to be effective in reducing adolescence pregnancy.  We need prevention, not risk reduction.  We do not teach young people to use drugs safely.  Why do we teach them to have sex safely?

Testimony Against:  None.

Witnesses:  Dawn Siler, The Children's Project (supports); Peggy Reich (supports); and Nancy Pomeroy (supports).