H-4775.1          _______________________________________________

                            SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 2264

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State of Washington              54th Legislature             1996 Regular Session

By House Committee on Law & Justice (originally sponsored by Representatives McMahan, Johnson, Hargrove, Goldsmith, Sheahan, Hymes, Buck, Benton, Mulliken, Koster, Pelesky, Sterk, Lambert, Campbell, Smith, Stevens, McMorris, Mitchell, Talcott, Thompson, Mastin, Backlund, Honeyford, D. Sommers, Hankins, Lisk, Carrell, Robertson and Casada)

Read first time 02/02/96. 

Prohibiting censorship of materials relating to United States history or heritage in schools.

     AN ACT Relating to censorship by school districts; and adding a new section to chapter 28A.230 RCW.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  A new section is added to chapter 28A.230 RCW to read as follows:

     (1) School district boards of directors shall not censor any documents, writings, speeches, or records specified in subsection (2) of this section relating to the founding of the United States or the state of Washington because of religious references in these documents, writings, speeches, or records.  School district boards of directors shall allow any teacher or administrator in any public school to read or post in a public school building or classroom, or at a public school event, any excerpts or portions of documents, writings, speeches, or records specified in subsection (2) of this section relating to the founding of the United States and the state of Washington.

     (2) Documents, writings, speeches, or records relating to the founding of the United States or the state of Washington means:  The Washington Enabling Act; the Washington Constitution; the Mayflower Compact; the Declaration of Independence; the Articles of Confederation; the United States Constitution; the Federalist Papers; and the documents, writings, and speeches of the founding fathers of the United States.

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