HB 591: Institute the celebrate freedom week in Montana's public schools - Montana

HB0591_X(4).pdf → HB0591_X(5).pdf · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was significantly simplified by removing requirements for specific classroom instruction and recitation of the Declaration of Independence. The version of the bill that mandated 3 hours of instruction and required students in grades 3-12 to recite a passage was deleted. The final version only requires school trustees to adopt a general policy ensuring commemorative exercises are conducted effectively.

Scope change

The bill's scope was narrowed from requiring specific instructional content and student recitation to a general administrative requirement for school boards to adopt a policy on commemorative exercises.

REQUIREMENT

Deleted the mandate for at least 3 hours of instruction regarding the Declaration of Independence, the US Constitution, and the Montana Constitution.

Removed the requirement that pupils in grades 3 through 12 must recite a specific passage from the Declaration of Independence.

Deleted provisions regarding exceptions for parental requests, conscientious objections, or children of foreign representatives related to the recitation requirement.

Changed the obligation from specific instructional mandates to a general requirement for trustees to adopt a policy ensuring effective conduct of commemorative exercises.

HB0591_X(3).pdf → HB0591_X(4).pdf · 1 edit

MINOR

The bill adds two blank lines to the header of Section 1, which introduces an amendment to a statute regarding commemorative exercises. This change is purely formatting and does not alter the law's content, scope, or requirements.

TECHNICAL

Added two empty lines at the beginning of the section header.

HB0591_2(15).pdf → HB0591_X.pdf · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was reformatted from a draft version to an enrolled, final version, removing placeholder text and adding official signatures. The substantive policy content regarding the designation of 'Celebrate Freedom Week' and the requirements for instruction and recitation remains unchanged.

TECHNICAL

Removed draft formatting markers, page headers, and placeholder lines to reflect the final enrolled bill text.

Added certification lines for the Chief Clerk, Speaker of the House, and President of the Senate to indicate official passage.

Corrected minor capitalization inconsistencies in the bill title and act summary to match standard legislative formatting.

HB0591_2(6).pdf → HB0591_2(7).pdf · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill underwent formatting adjustments to align with standard legislative style, converting lowercase text to uppercase and correcting line breaks. Additionally, the introductory 'WHEREAS' clauses were expanded to explicitly list specific historical topics, such as immigration, the American Revolution, and the women's suffrage movement, ensuring these subjects are formally recognized as part of the educational goals.

Scope change

The scope of the educational requirements was clarified by explicitly listing specific historical events and movements that must be covered.

REQUIREMENT

The bill's text was converted from lowercase to uppercase to meet standard legislative formatting conventions.

The list of historical topics to be taught was expanded to explicitly include immigration, the American Revolution, the formulation of the Constitution, the abolitionist movement, and the women's suffrage movement.

TECHNICAL

Minor formatting changes were made to page headers and the placement of the 'Authorized Print Version' label.

HB0591_2(5).pdf → HB0591_2(6).pdf · 1 edit

MINOR

The bill text was updated to use all capital letters for the section header, changing 'SECTION 1. Section 20-1-306, MCA, is amended to read:' to 'SECTION 1. SECTION 20-1-306, MCA, IS AMENDED TO READ:'. This is a stylistic or formatting adjustment rather than a substantive policy change.

TECHNICAL

The section header text was capitalized to match standard legislative formatting conventions.

HB0591_2(3).pdf → HB0591_2(4).pdf · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill establishes 'Celebrate Freedom Week' during the last full week of September to educate students about American founding principles. It mandates at least three hours of instruction on specific topics, including the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, and requires students in grades 3-12 to recite the Preamble to the Constitution daily during this week. The bill also creates exemptions for students with conscientious objections or those with diplomatic family ties.

Scope change

The bill expands the scope of commemorative exercises by adding 'Freedom Week' to the list of required observances in existing law (Section 20-1-306) and introduces new specific instructional and recitation requirements not previously mandated.

REQUIREMENT

Mandates at least 3 hours of social studies instruction on American founding principles during the last full week of September.

Requires daily recitation of the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution by students in grades 3 through 12 during the designated week.

Amends existing law to include 'Freedom Week' as a required commemorative day alongside Lincoln's Birthday, Washington's Birthday, and others.

ELIGIBILITY

Allows school districts to excuse students from the daily recitation requirement if they have a conscientious objection or are children of foreign government representatives with diplomatic immunity.

TIMELINE

Sets the effective date of the act as July 1, 2025.

HB0591_1(5).pdf → HB0591_2.pdf · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was restructured to amend an existing statute rather than create a standalone section. The core policy remains the same: designating the last full week of September as 'Celebrate Freedom Week' and requiring 3 hours of instruction on founding documents. However, the requirement for students to recite the Declaration of Independence daily was moved from the new bill text into the existing statute governing commemorative exercises.

Scope change

The bill changed from a standalone new section to an amendment of Section 20-1-306, MCA, which already lists various commemorative days.

REQUIREMENT

The daily recitation of the Declaration of Independence was removed from the new bill text and integrated into the existing law regarding commemorative exercises.

The bill text was reorganized to function as an amendment to an existing code section rather than a completely new section.

The bill now explicitly directs trustees to adopt a policy ensuring the effective conduct of commemorative exercises, which was added to the amended statute.

TECHNICAL

Minor formatting and header adjustments were made to align with the state's legislative markup standards.

LC1253.pdf → HB0591_1.pdf · 2 edits

MINOR

The bill was renumbered from LC 1253 to HB 591 and the sponsor list was updated to reflect the current legislative session. The substantive policy content regarding the establishment of Celebrate Freedom Week, the required curriculum topics, and the daily recitation of the Declaration of Independence remains unchanged.

Scope change

The bill's scope and applicability remain unchanged; it continues to apply to public school districts in Montana for grades 3 through 12.

TECHNICAL

Bill number changed from LC 1253 to HB 591.1, and the list of sponsors was updated to include new names while removing previous ones.

Formatting and page markers were adjusted to match the official authorized print version of the bill.

Institute the celebrate freedom week in Montana's public schools

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