(KCPW News) Utah’s schools will have to teach that the United States is a constitutional republic, if a bill passed by the House of Representatives this morning becomes law. Republican Representative Mike Morley, a member of the highly conservative Patrick Henry Caucus, is sponsoring the legislation.
“The framers of the Constitution and our form of government just didn’t take this flippantly,” he argued. “They studied all forms of government and came up with what they believe and what I believe was an inspired form of government that has served us well.”
The bill also requires students to learn about alternatives to a republic, like democracy, monarchy and socialism.
Democratic Representative Carol Spackman Moss said students are already learning this information, and it’s not the legislature’s job to dictate what schools should teach.
“A no vote on this just would say we don’t believe in micromanaging the curriculum. We have a core curriculum; it’s being taught,” said Moss. “If there are some absences in this curriculum, we should deal with them. But not through legislation.”
The bill passed on a 57-to-17 vote, with one Republican joining Democrats in rejecting it. It has the support of a group called Utah’s Republic, which formed out of opposition to teaching students that the United States is a democracy.
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