The House Education Committee voted to advance House Bill 15 27, a measure directing the superintendent of public instruction to review K–12 history standards and incorporate instruction about contemporary manifestations of antisemitism, after adopting two amendments and recording a do-pass recommendation as amended.

Representative Mackey presented the bill; the committee considered an amendment from NDCEL (identified in committee as 25.07660.03002) that adjusted where and how standards-language would be applied. After debate about whether curriculum language should reside in Century Code (statute) or in education standards subject to DPI’s periodic review, the committee adopted the NDCEL amendment by roll call (10-1-3). Members cited the cost and timing of standards reviews and warned against embedding detailed curriculum in statute rather than standards.

Representative Haug then moved — and Representative Morton later offered a companion amendment — to add a definition of antisemitism referencing the working definition adopted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA, 05/26/2016) and noting its incorporation by presidential executive order 13899 (12/11/2019). The committee adopted the amendment that referenced IHRA and the executive order (vote recorded 11-1-2). After both amendments were in place, the committee voted to recommend a do-pass as amended; that final roll call was recorded 8-3-3.

Committee members voiced two main concerns during debate: (1) placing specific curriculum definitions or content in Century Code reduces the normal flexibility and review cycle of academic standards and can make updates expensive and infrequent; (2) the timing of when standards must be reviewed matters because standard revisions carry significant cost and administrative work.

Why it matters: The bill, as amended, requires DPI to review and incorporate instruction about contemporary manifestations of antisemitism in the applicable standards during the DPI review cycle and embeds the IHRA working definition by reference. The amendments sought to balance statutory clarity with a recognition that standards updates are cyclical and costly.

Votes and amendments: The NDCEL amendment adopted 10-1-3; the IHRA-definition amendment adopted 11-1-2; the committee recommended a do-pass as amended 8-3-3.

Next steps: With a committee do-pass recommendation, the bill proceeds toward the floor process; stakeholders raised both support for clearer definitions and concern about statutory placement versus standards-level action.