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H628 • 2025

An Act relative to celebrating and teaching Native American culture and history

An Act relative to celebrating and teaching Native American culture and history

Education
Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Jack Patrick Lewis
Last action
2025-11-17
Official status
Referred to House Committee on Ways and Means
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

An Act relative to celebrating and teaching Native American culture and history

An Act relative to celebrating and teaching Native American culture and history By Representative Lewis of Framingham, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No.

What This Bill Does

  • An Act relative to celebrating and teaching Native American culture and history By Representative Lewis of Framingham, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No.
  • 628) of Jack Patrick Lewis relative to the teaching of Native American culture and history.
  • Education.
  • Status: Referred to House Committee on Ways and Means

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2025-11-17 House

    Bill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on House Ways and Means

  2. 2025-09-02 Joint

    Hearing scheduled for 09/16/2025 from 11:00 AM-5:00 PM in Gardner Auditorium

  3. 2025-02-27 House

    Referred to the committee on Education

  4. 2025-02-27 Senate

    Senate concurred

Official Summary Text

An Act relative to celebrating and teaching Native American culture and history
By Representative Lewis of Framingham, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 628) of Jack Patrick Lewis relative to the teaching of Native American culture and history. Education.
Status:
Referred to House Committee on Ways and Means

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
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Bill H.628

The third paragraph of section 1D of chapter 69 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2018 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the second sentence the following sentence:- The standards shall provide for instruction in: (i) tribal history and current issues of the Aquinnah Wampanoag, Mashpee Wampanoag and other Wampanoag tribes, the Massachuset, the Nipmuc and other Native American tribes that exist within Massachusetts; (ii) information about tribes and confederacies that have historic ties to Massachusetts, such as the Wabanaki Confederacy; (iii) tribal history of Native Americans throughout the United States; (iv) tribal sovereignty and governance, treaty rights, genocide, Native American cultures, languages and socioeconomic experiences; and (v) ongoing issues common to contemporary Native Americans throughout Massachusetts; provided, that to develop these standards the board shall consult consistently with the special relationship between the Commonwealth and Native Americans as molded by Treaty and Agreement, Legislative Act and Executive Order.

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