House Bill 5255 Summary

• Requires school districts and public school academies to include age- and grade-appropriate instruction on genocide in grades 8-12 social studies curriculum, specifically the Holocaust, Armenian Genocide, and Ukrainian Holodomor, with a recommended 6 hours of combined instruction.

• Establishes the Governor's Council on Genocide and Holocaust Education as a 17-member temporary commission appointed by the governor to advise schools on genocide education strategies, identify teacher training programs, and coordinate commemorative events for Holocaust victims, Armenian Genocide victims, and Holodomor victims.

• Specifies that council members serve without state compensation but may be reimbursed for necessary expenses if private funding is available; prohibits use of state funds for council operations.

• Requires state assessment programs and Michigan Merit Examination to include questions related to genocide learning objectives, including the Holocaust, Armenian Genocide, and Ukrainian Holodomor, in social studies components beginning in the 2016-2017 school year.

• Defines "Armenian Genocide" as the persecution and murder of approximately 1,500,000 Armenians by the Ottoman Turkish Empire and "Ukrainian Holodomor" as the artificial famine imposed by Stalin's regime on Ukraine from 1932-1933 that killed an estimated 7,000,000 to 10,000,000 people.