By: Campbell, et al. S.B. No. 24     A BILL TO BE ENTITLED   AN ACT   relating to the inclusion of an understanding of communist regimes   and ideologies in the essential knowledge and skills for the social   studies curriculum for certain public school students.          BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:          SECTION 1.  Section 28.002, Education Code, is amended by   adding Subsections (h-11) and (h-12) to read as follows:          (h-11)  In adopting the essential knowledge and skills for   the social studies curriculum for each grade level from grade 4   through grade 12, the State Board of Education shall, as   appropriate, adopt essential knowledge and skills that develop each   student's understanding of communist regimes and ideologies and   include age appropriate and developmentally appropriate   instruction with information on:                (1)  the history of and tactics used by communist   movements in the United States;                (2)  historical events and atrocities attributable to   communist regimes, including:                      (A)  the Cultural Revolution and the Great Leap   Forward;                      (B)  the Holodomor, otherwise known as the   Ukrainian Famine;                      (C)  the Soviet-era political purge known as the   Great Terror;                      (D)  the Cambodian genocide under Pol Pot and the   Khmer Rouge;                      (E)  the origins and policies of the Communist   Party of Cuba;                      (F)  communist guerrilla movements in Latin   America; and                      (G)  the oppression and suffering experienced by   people living under communist regimes, including mass murder,   violent land seizures, show trials, concentration camps, forced   labor, poverty, and general economic deterioration;                (3)  a comparative analysis of:                      (A)  the ideologies of communism and   totalitarianism contrasted with the United States' founding   principles of freedom and democracy; and                      (B)  collectivist ideologies contrasted with the   United States' founding principles of individual rights,   merit-based advancement, and free enterprise;                (4)  modern threats to the United States and its allies   posed by communist regimes and ideologies;                (5)  common economic, industrial, and political events   that historically precede communist revolutions;                (6)  the evolution of communist ideologies from   economic, class-based theories into broader cultural movements   that divide societies and maintain collective control over   individual rights;                (7)  common historical and modern methods used to   spread communist ideologies, including:                      (A)  propaganda;                      (B)  public shaming tactics;                      (C)  censorship; and                      (D)  forced conformity; and                (8)  first-person accounts, in the form of in-person,   video-recorded, or written testimony, from the victims of communist   regimes.          (h-12)  In adopting the essential knowledge and skills   required under Subsection (h-11), the State Board of Education:                (1)  shall adopt and publish standards for the required   instruction;                (2)  shall seek input from:                      (A)  victims of communism willing to share their   first-person accounts; and                      (B)  nationally recognized organizations   dedicated to commemorating victims of communism; and                (3)  may incorporate material from existing   educational programs that provide instruction on the topic of   communist regimes and ideologies, if the material meets the   standards adopted by the State Board of Education under Subdivision   (1).          SECTION 2.  This Act applies beginning with the 2026-2027   school year.          SECTION 3.  Not later than July 31, 2026, the State Board of   Education shall review and revise, as needed, the essential   knowledge and skills of the social studies curriculum as required   by Section 28.002(h-11), Education Code, as added by this Act.          SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives   a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as   provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this   Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this   Act takes effect September 1, 2025.