House refuses to concur on curriculum concurrence; HB 312 sent to conference after fiscal concern

A floor fight over HB 312’s concurrence with Senate language occupied the House late Thursday. Representatives debated whether to accept Senate changes that folded a larger curriculum proposal into the House substitute and added funding. Sponsors said the funded civics portion was essential and not a vendor contract; opponents said the Senate proposal had failed in committee for good reason and that adding it now circumvents committee work.

Representative Auxier (sponsor) said the $12 million funding included in the merged language covers social studies and civics work and that control would remain with the state superintendent and the State Board of Education, not an outside vendor. Representative Eliason urged colleagues to reject the concurrence, arguing that the Senate’s version had failed in committee and should have gone to interim study rather than being merged into a passed House bill.

On a voice and recorded sequence, the motion to concur failed and the House voted to refuse to concur and ask the Senate to recede from its amendments; the refusal sends the measure toward a conference committee to resolve the disagreement.

Next steps: The House appointed members to a conference committee; the House will meet with Senate conferees to resolve funding and scope questions.