Education - Holocaust Education Assistance Grant Program - Established
Summary
HB71 establishes the Holocaust Education Assistance Grant Program within the Maryland State Department of Education. The program is intended to help local school systems strengthen Holocaust education in public schools by providing grants that may be used only for Holocaust-related teacher training or instructional materials.
The bill directs the Governor to include an annual appropriation for the program in the budget bill and caps individual grants at $50,000 per local school system in a fiscal year. The act takes effect July 1, 2025, and is codified as a new section in the Education Article, creating a new state grant program specifically tied to Holocaust education.
Impact
HB71 adds a new statutory grant program to the Education Article, Section 7-136, and creates a state-administered funding mechanism for local school systems. It affects the Maryland State Department of Education, which will receive and process applications, and local school systems, which may apply for and use funds only for teacher training and teaching materials related to Holocaust education. The bill also requires a recurring budget appropriation, initially set in the statute at $50,000 for the program, with a per-system grant limit of $50,000 per fiscal year.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have broad bipartisan support and little visible opposition. It passed the House 137-1 and the Senate 44-0, indicating strong agreement on the need to support Holocaust education in public schools. The absence of committee transcript material suggests no major public controversy was recorded in the provided context.
Contention
No significant contention is evident in the available record. The only potentially notable issue is the size and structure of the appropriation and how the program will be funded through the annual budget process, but the voting history suggests that lawmakers were largely aligned on the policy goal. Any discussion would likely have centered on implementation details rather than the underlying purpose of Holocaust education support.