The House has voted 59-10 in favor of SB 1071a, to require Idaho high school graduates to pass the same civics test that immigrants must pass to become citizens of the United States. “Jay Leno went out and asked people, who’s president of the United States, who’s our senator?” said Rep. Terry Gestrin, R-Donnelly. “We’ve all seen those episodes where they don’t know.”

Rep. Linden Bateman, R-Idaho Falls, said, “Normally I would not support mandating still another test on our school districts. There are so many tests that have been mandated. But I decided to support this legislation, because social studies has been relegated to a secondary position in our school districts.” He said schools are more focused on subjects like math now. “They push the social studies off to the back burner or clear off the stove. … Our kids also lack a knowledge of the development of western civilization.”

Rep. Mat Erpelding, D-Boise, argued against the bill. “The way that we engage our children in civic education is not by forcing another test on them, but by changing the way we deal with social studies in our schools,” he said. “Now we’re going to put a little patch on it by having a civics test, which in my opinion is remedial at best.”

Rep. Pete Nielsen, R-Mountain Home, recalled a history teacher “when I was a lad” who “made it come alive.” He said, “We need to do this kind of thing in our schools, without question, and this is a mighty good start.”

The bill earlier passed the Senate on a 29-6 vote; it now goes to Gov. Butch Otter.