Armenian Genocide Education Act

I 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 2803 To direct the Librarian of Congress to carry out activities to support Armenian Genocide education programs, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES APRIL 24, 2023 Ms. ESHOO (for herself, Mr. LIEU, Mr. BILIRAKIS, Mr. VALADAO, Mr. PAL- LONE, Mr. MORELLE, Ms. MENG, Mr. SWALWELL, Ms. NORTON, Ms. SA´NCHEZ, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. COSTA, Mr. SHERMAN, Ms. PINGREE, Ms. LEE of California, Mr. AUCHINCLOSS, Ms. PORTER, Mrs. TRAHAN, Mr. GOMEZ, Mr. SCHNEIDER, Mr. KEATING, Mr. MCGOVERN, Ms. SPANBERGER, Mr. SARBANES, Mr. CA´RDENAS, Mr. CICILLINE, Ms. TITUS, Ms. STEVENS, Ms. CHU, Mr. GOTTHEIMER, Mr. LARSEN of Washington, Ms. MALLIOTAKIS, Ms. BARRAGA´N, Ms. TLAIB, Mr. MULLIN, Ms. CROCKETT, Mr. SCHIFF, Ms. KAMLAGER-DOVE, Mrs. LEE of Nevada, Ms. SHERRILL, Mr. HUFFMAN, and Ms. JACOBS) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on House Admin- istration A BILL To direct the Librarian of Congress to carry out activities to support Armenian Genocide education programs, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Armenian Genocide 4 Education Act’’. 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:15 Apr 28, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2803.IH H2803 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 2803 IH SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 1 Congress finds the following: 2 (1) The United States has demonstrated a com- 3 mitment to remembrance and education about the 4 Armenian Genocide of 1915–1923 through the 5 United States Government’s May 28, 1951, written 6 statement to the International Court of Justice re- 7 garding the Convention on the Prevention and Pun- 8 ishment of the Crime of Genocide; through President 9 Ronald Reagan’s Proclamation No. 4838 on April 10 22, 1981; by H.J. Res 148, adopted on April 8, 11 1975; H.J. Res 247, adopted on September 10, 12 1984; H. Res. 296, adopted on October 29, 2019; S. 13 Res. 150, adopted on December 12, 2019; and 14 President Joe Biden’s April 24, 2021, statement 15 recognizing the Armenian Genocide. 16 (2) H. Res. 296 and S. Res. 150 cite the Otto- 17 man Empire’s ‘‘campaign of genocide against Arme- 18 nian, Greek, Assyrian, Chaldean, Syriac, Aramean, 19 Maronite and other Christians’’, and call on the 20 United States to— 21 (A) ‘‘reject efforts to enlist, engage, or oth- 22 erwise associate the United States Government 23 with denial of the Armenian Genocide or any 24 other genocide’’; and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:15 Apr 28, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2803.IH H2803 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 2803 IH (B) ‘‘encourage education and public un- 1 derstanding of the facts of the Armenian Geno- 2 cide, including the United States role in the hu- 3 manitarian relief effort, and the relevance of 4 the Armenian Genocide to modern-day crimes 5 against humanity’’. 6 (3) Today, those who deny that the Ottoman 7 Empire systematically planned, organized, and im- 8 plemented a campaign of genocide against Arme- 9 nian, Greek, Assyrian, Chaldean, Syriac, Aramean, 10 Maronite, and other Christians or who seek to dis- 11 tort the true nature of these crimes continue to find 12 forums, especially online. This denial and distortion 13 dishonors those who were persecuted, murdered, dis- 14 possessed, and exiled, making it even more of a na- 15 tional imperative to educate students in the United 16 States so that they may explore the lessons that 17 these crimes provide for all people, sensitize commu- 18 nities to the circumstances that gave rise to these 19 crimes, and help youth be less susceptible to the 20 falsehood of genocide denial and distortion and to 21 the destructive messages of hate that arise from de- 22 nial and distortion. 23 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 24 In this Act: 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:15 Apr 28, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2803.IH H2803 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 2803 IH (1) ARMENIAN GENOCIDE.—The term ‘‘Arme- 1 nian Genocide’’ means Ottoman Turkey’s systematic 2 and deliberate state-sponsored mass murder, na- 3 tional dispossession, cultural erasure, and exile of 4 millions of Armenians, Greeks, Assyrians, 5 Chaldeans, Syriacs, Arameans, Maronites, and other 6 Christians, between 1915 and 1923. 7 (2) ARMENIAN GENOCIDE EDUCATION PRO- 8 GRAM.—The term ‘‘Armenian Genocide education 9 program’’ means a program that has as its specific 10 and primary purpose the improvement of awareness 11 and understanding of the history, lessons, con- 12 sequences, and ongoing costs of the Armenian Geno- 13 cide, and which will serve as a means of promoting 14 justice and preventing genocide, hate, and bigotry 15 against any group of people. 16 (3) DENIAL.—The term ‘‘denial’’ refers to dis- 17 course and propaganda that claims that the Arme- 18 nian Genocide did not take place. 19 (4) DISTORTION.—The term ‘‘distortion’’ refers 20 specifically to any attempt to excuse or minimize, in 21 its entirety or in its principal elements, the Arme- 22 nian Genocide, including efforts to blame the victims 23 for causing their own genocide, or to portray the Ar- 24 menian Genocide as a positive historical event. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:14 Apr 29, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2803.IH H2803 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 2803 IH (5) LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY.—The term 1 ‘‘local educational agency’’ has the meaning given 2 such term in section 8101 of the Elementary and 3 Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 21 4 7801). 5 SEC. 4. PROGRAM DESCRIBED. 6 (a) ESTABLISHMENT AND OPERATION OF PRO- 7 GRAM.—The Librarian of Congress shall establish and 8 carry out a program to support Armenian Genocide edu- 9 cation programs by— 10 (1) carrying out the activities described in sub- 11 section (b); 12 (2) entering into agreements with program par- 13 ticipants under section 5; and 14 (3) providing online resources under section 6. 15 (b) ACTIVITIES.—The activities described in this sub- 16 section are as follows: 17 (1) The development and national dissemination 18 of accurate, relevant, and accessible resources to 19 promote understanding about how and why the Ar- 20 menian Genocide happened, which shall include dig- 21 ital resources and may include other types of re- 22 sources, such as print resources and traveling exhibi- 23 tions. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:15 Apr 28, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2803.IH H2803 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 2803 IH (2) The development, national dissemination, 1 and implementation of principles of sound pedagogy 2 for teaching about the Armenian Genocide. 3 (3) The provision of professional development 4 services for entities participating in the program 5 under an agreement entered into under section 5, 6 such as through— 7 (A) local, regional, and national workshops 8 and teacher trainings in conjunction with geno- 9 cide education centers and other appropriate 10 partners; 11 (B) engagement with local educational 12 agencies and high schools and schools that in- 13 clude one of the middle grades that are inde- 14 pendent of any local educational agency; and 15 (C) the operation and expansion of a 16 teacher fellowship program to cultivate and sup- 17 port leaders in Armenian Genocide education. 18 (4) Engagement with State and local education 19 leaders to encourage the adoption of the resources 20 developed and supported under the program estab- 21 lished by this Act into curricula across diverse dis- 22 ciplines. 23 (5) Evaluation and research to assess the effec- 24 tiveness and impact of the Armenian Genocide edu- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:15 Apr 28, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2803.IH H2803 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 2803 IH cation programs and the other activities carried out 1 under the program established by this Act, which 2 may include the preparation and use of material for 3 the annual report required under section 8. 4 SEC. 5. ENGAGEMENT OF ELIGIBLE PROGRAM PARTICI- 5 PANTS. 6 (a) AGREEMENTS WITH PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS.— 7 The Librarian of Congress may enter into agreements 8 with eligible entities under which such entities may serve 9 as program participants in the program established by this 10 Act. 11 (b) CONTENTS OF AGREEMENTS.—An agreement en- 12 tered into under this section between the Librarian and 13 an eligible entity shall include the following elements: 14 (1) A description of the services and assistance 15 provided to the entity by the Librarian. 16 (2) A description of the activities to be carried 17 out by the entity with such services and assistance. 18 (3) The length of the period in which the agree- 19 ment shall be in effect. 20 (4) Such other elements as may be agreed to by 21 the Librarian and the entity, consistent with the 22 program established by this Act. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:15 Apr 28, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2803.IH H2803 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 2803 IH (c) ELIGIBILITY.—An entity is eligible to serve as a 1 program participant in the program established by this 2 Act if— 3 (1) the entity is a local educational agency, a 4 school that is independent of any local educational 5 agency, or an entity that works with or for a local 6 educational agency or a school that is independent 7 of any local educational agency; and 8 (2) the entity submits to the Librarian, at such 9 time and in such form as the Librarian may require, 10 an application containing such information and as- 11 surances as the Librarian may require. 12 (d) PRIORITY.—In selecting among eligible entities 13 for participating in the program established under this 14 Act, the Librarian shall give priority to applications from 15 entities who are local educational agencies, schools that 16 are independent of any local educational agency, or enti- 17 ties that work with or for a local educational agency or 18 a school that is independent of any local educational agen- 19 cy, that do not, at the time application is made, offer any 20 Armenian Genocide education program. 21 SEC. 6. ONLINE EDUCATION RESOURCES. 22 (a) WEBSITE.—The Librarian of Congress shall 23 maintain on the website of the Library of Congress a pub- 24 licly available special section designated for Armenian 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:15 Apr 28, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2803.IH H2803 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 2803 IH Genocide education resources to improve awareness and 1 understanding of this Genocide and educate individuals on 2 the lessons of the Armenian Genocide as a means to raise 3 awareness about the importance of preventing genocide, 4 hate, and bigotry against any group of people. 5 (b) INFORMATION DISTRIBUTION.—The Librarian 6 shall distribute information about the activities funded 7 under this Act through the website of the Library of Con- 8 gress, and shall respond to inquiries for supplementary in- 9 formation concerning such activities. 10 (c) BEST PRACTICES.—The information distributed 11 by the Librarian under this section shall include best prac- 12 tices for educators on how to teach about the Armenian 13 Genocide. 14 SEC. 7. PRIVATE SUPPORT. 15 (a) ACCEPTANCE OF DONATIONS.—The Librarian of 16 Congress may solicit, accept, hold, administer, invest, and 17 use donated funds and gifts, bequests, and devises of prop- 18 erty, both real and personal, to support the activities car- 19 ried out under this Act, subject to subsection (c). 20 (b) ESTABLISHMENT OF SEPARATE GIFT AC- 21 COUNT.—There is established in the Treasury (among the 22 accounts of the Library of Congress) a gift account for 23 the activities carried out under this Act. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:15 Apr 28, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2803.IH H2803 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 2803 IH (c) DEDICATION OF FUNDS.—Notwithstanding any 1 other provision of law— 2 (1) any funds donated to the Librarian to carry 3 out activities under this Act shall be deposited en- 4 tirely into the gift account established under sub- 5 section (b); 6 (2) the funds contained in such account shall be 7 used solely to carry out activities under this Act; and 8 (3) the Librarian may not deposit into such ac- 9 count any funds donated to the Librarian which are 10 not donated for the exclusive purpose of carrying out 11 activities under this Act. 12 SEC. 8. ANNUAL REPORT. 13 Not later than February 1 of each year (beginning 14 with 2024), the Librarian of Congress shall submit to the 15 Congress a report describing the activities carried out 16 under this Act. 17 SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 18 There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 19 this Act $2,000,000 for fiscal year 2024 and each of the 20 4 succeeding fiscal years. 21 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:15 Apr 28, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H2803.IH H2803 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS