Letter to Congress for Civics Secures Democracy Act

Honorable Members of Congress:

As U.S. companies with diverse economic interests and a workforce with a broad range of political views, we have a shared concern about the state of civics education in America’s K–12 schools. It is essential to our country’s future that we restore the importance placed on civics education in American classrooms with targeted federal investments to support and expand access to civics and American history education.

According to Pew Research Center, while support for democracy remains high in the United States, an increasing number of Americans are open to other forms of government, including authoritarianism. Distrust in our democratic institutions and an erosion of civic values and norms have fueled further politicization and polarization. The interdependency of a market economy and constitutional democracy make this kind of instability a particular threat to economic sustainability and prosperity, putting at risk our businesses and employees. We must reverse these trends.

After decades of underinvestment, the decline in civics education has contributed significantly to the political discord, dysfunction, and widespread disengagement plaguing our nation today. Currently, the federal government invests a mere 5 cents per K–12 student in civics education compared to 54 dollars per K–12 student for STEM. Far too many young Americans lack an understanding of the fundamentals of our three branches of government or the Bill of Rights. We need policy change and accompanying funding to ensure that civics education — reimagined for the modern era — is prioritized in K–12 schools.

Comprehensive civics education for every student in the United States is a key solution agreed upon by a majority of Republicans and Democrats alike. Civics education, when done well, produces a more informed and engaged citizenry and stronger democratic institutions — which leads to a better educated workforce, greater market stability, and sustainable economic outcomes. Continued neglect of civics education will further weaken both our civic and economic strength.

The bipartisan Civics Secures Democracy (CSD) Act (S.879 / H.R.1814) would authorize transformational federal investment in K–12 civics education, ensuring its national prioritization to states, districts, and schools and providing the support necessary for teacher professional development, curricular materials, and student programming. We are pleased that the bill has been filed by Reps. Tom Cole (R-OK), Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) in the House, and Sens. Chris Coons (D-DE) and John Cornyn (R-TX) in the Senate. We are proud to lend our support to this essential piece of legislation.

We urge Congress to protect our democratic institutions and ensure that every American receives modern, comprehensive civics education. The undersigned group of U.S. employers urges Congress to address these problems by passing the bipartisan Civics Secures Democracy (CSD) Act.

Respectfully,

Signatory companies & business organizations

Many companies and organizations, such as: 

Allstate Insurance Company, 
Aspen Skiing Company, 
REI Co-op, 
Salesforce, 
M1PR, Inc.,

and many others

bfa.us/civics