House Bill 1070: Patriotic Education Grant Program

February 7, 2023March 2, 2023 Bill Tracker

Latest Action

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The Senate Education Committee failed to take action on HB 1070 by the February 28 deadline, causing this bill to die in committee.

Explanation of the Bill

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House Bill 1070 would establish the Patriotic Education Grant Program to promote “education that inspires American history in schools.” The program would be administered by the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE), which would create rules and regulations to accomplish the program’s goals. With permission from their school districts, teachers could apply to receive grant funds for activities such as “after school clubs, special speakers, and field trips.” 

Governor Reeves called for the creation of this type of program in his FY24 Budget Recommendation, in which he described a need to combat an “inaccurate narrative about our nation’s history” that paints America as “a collective of colonizers.” This was likely a reference to the New York Times’ 1619 Project, which has faced widespread criticism from Republicans for centering the experiences of enslaved Africans in its telling of American history. Even so, HB 1070 does not contain specific language about the nature of activities that would accomplish its goal to “inspire American history.” It appears that the meaning of this could be open to interpretation, though MDE would likely establish more specific parameters in its rules and regulations. 

MDE would be required to make an annual allocation of five million dollars towards the grant program.