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Evolution Debate in Michigan (9/04/03)

   

Michigan State Rep. Kenneth Bradstreet (R, 105th) introduced House Bill 4946 on July 2, 2003. The legislation is cosponsored by 24 other members of the Michigan House of Representatives, seven of which serve on the committee of jurisdiction. It would change the Michigan school code to require the Board of Education to modify state science standards to include the concept of "intelligent design by a Creator" wherever evolution is mentioned.

On July 17, 2003, State Rep. Jacob Hoogendyk (R, 61st) introduced HB 5005. This bill is cosponsored by 7 other members of the House, including Rep. Bradstreet. It would authorize that alternatives to evolution be taught in science courses and endorses teaching the design hypothesis as an explanation for the origin and diversity of life. This bill has also been referred to the Education Committee. A similar bill was introduced in 2001 but no action was taken on it.

The political winds have changed in the past two years. The Chairman of the House Education Committee is not a cosponsor of either bill; however, there have been rumblings that he is an advocate of this type of legislation and will move the bills forward. The Committee has already solicited and received comments from the Michigan Department of Education about these two bills. This is a crucial step in the process towards passing these bills out of Committee. In Michigan, the Chairman of the Committee decides if there are hearings, who can submit testimony as well as the date, time and venue for the vote to pass bills out of Committee. The Chairman also has the option not to hold hearings at all and simply schedule a vote with the Committee to forward the bills to the House floor. There is a very good chance that no hearings will be held on H.B. 4946 and H.B. 5005. Given the makeup of the Committee and that seven members are already cosponsors of bill, only 3 additional votes would be necessary to move it out of Committee for consideration by the Michigan House of Representatives.

One way to halt this process is to have the Governor weigh in with the Chairman of the Committee and ask him not to give these bills any consideration, as was the case in 2001. This year, however, Michigan's new Governor, Governor Granholm (D), has not publically taken a position despite a myriad of letters asking her to do so.

The current session of the Michigan State Legislature will not adjourn until December, 2004, at which time all bills that have not passed and been sent to the Governor are null and void. Until that time, these bills remain viable legislative proposals.

The Michigan Science Teachers Association has taken a position against both of these bills. Their position paper is available online at http://www.msta-mich.org/evoposition.php. A grassroots effort to defeat these bills has sprouted up with Michigan Citizens for Science, a citizen-driven organization committed to teaching evolution in the classroom. (9/4/03)

No Previous Action(s) listed at this time.

Sources: American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Geophysical Union, Associated Press, Association for Women Geoscientists, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Duluth News Tribune, Kansas Geological Survey, Library of Congress, Maryville Tennessee Daily Times, National Academies, National Center for Science Education, National Science Teachers Association, Pioneer Press, Rocky Mountain News, Santa Fe New Mexican, WCCO-TV, The Dallas Morning News, The Austin American-Statesman, The Houston Chronicle.

Background section includes material from AGI's Update on State Challenges to the Teaching of Evolution for the 106th Congress.

Contributed by David Applegate and Emily Lehr, AGI Government Affairs Program, 2003 AGI/AAPG Spring Semester Intern Charna Meth, and 2003 AGI/AIPG Summer Intern Emily Scott.

Please send any comments or requests for information to AGI Government Affairs Program.

Last updated on September 13, 2003

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