Teaching Geography is Fundamental Act
Latest action · Mar 31, 2009 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedMar 31, 2009
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Teaching Geography is Fundamental Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to establish a geography education grant program under title II (Teacher Quality Enhancement).
Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award a grant to a national nonprofit educational organization or consortium, with 75% to be used for matching subgrants to institutions of higher education associated with state geographic alliances, nonprofit educational organizations, or state or local educational agencies.
Requires program participants to use their grants and subgrants to enhance the geographic literacy of students in kindergarten through grade 12 by supporting specified activities, including: (1) educational research; (2) teacher training; (3) the development of effective teaching tools and learning materials; (4) the application of rigorous academic standards and assessment techniques; (5) comparative studies of world cultures, economies, and environments; and (6) the exchange of information regarding the state of geographic literacy and strategies for its improvement.
Cosponsors 25
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Mar 31, 2009 to Jul 29, 2010; 7 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-MD | Benjamin L. Cardin | Original | Mar 31, 2009 |
| D-CT | Christopher J. Dodd | Original | Mar 31, 2009 |
| D-HI | Daniel K. Akaka | Original | Mar 31, 2009 |
| D-NM | Jeff Bingaman | Original | Mar 31, 2009 |
| R-TN | Lamar Alexander | Original | Mar 31, 2009 |
| D-WA | Patty Murray | Original | Mar 31, 2009 |
| R-MS | Roger F. Wicker | Original | Mar 31, 2009 |
| I-VT | Bernard Sanders | Apr 21, 2009 | |
| R-FL | Mel Martinez | Apr 21, 2009 | |
| R-ME | Susan M. Collins | Apr 21, 2009 | |
| R-AK | Lisa Murkowski | May 7, 2009 | |
| D-CO | Michael F. Bennet | May 7, 2009 | |
| D-VT | Patrick J. Leahy | May 7, 2009 | |
| D-AK | Mark Begich | May 20, 2009 | |
| D-NE | Ben Nelson | Jun 8, 2009 | |
| D-WA | Maria Cantwell | Jun 24, 2009 | |
| R-NE | Mike Johanns | Jul 6, 2009 | |
| D-AR | Blanche L. Lincoln | Jul 15, 2009 | |
| D-ND | Kent Conrad | Nov 2, 2009 | |
| D-MD | Barbara A. Mikulski | Feb 23, 2010 | |
| R-ME | Olympia J. Snowe | Mar 1, 2010 | |
| D-ND | Byron L. Dorgan | Mar 10, 2010 | |
| D-NJ | Frank R. Lautenberg | Mar 10, 2010 | |
| D-IN | Evan Bayh | Jul 15, 2010 | |
| D-RI | Sheldon Whitehouse | Jul 29, 2010 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| Senate | Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee | Referred Mar 31, 2009 |
Actions 3
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Mar 31, 2009Introduced in Senate
- Mar 31, 2009Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S4072-4073)
- Mar 31, 2009Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
In the Congressional Record 1
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senate | Debate and remarks S4072 | Thad Cochran R-MS | Mar 31, 2009 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill to improve and expand geographic literacy among kindergarten through grade 12 students in the United States by improving professional development programs for kindergarten through grade 12 teachers offered through institutions of higher education.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Teaching Geography is Fundamental Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Education.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Mar 31, 2009Introduced in Senate
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
