Sacremento, USA - A bill seeking to protect California social studies textbooks from religious revisions advocated in Texas has cleared a legislative hurdle.
The Senate Appropriations Committee on Monday voted 6-3 in favor of the legislation. The measure would require the state Board of Education to examine new textbooks for curriculum revisions approved in March by the Texas school board.
The Texas recommendations include the claim that the nation's Founding Fathers were guided by Christian principles. They also diminish Thomas Jefferson's role in world history because he advocated for the separation of church and state.
The bill's supporters say it is a necessary precaution. Decisions in Texas can affect textbook content nationwide because Texas is one of publishers' biggest clients.
The legislation, SB1451, now moves to the full Senate.