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The Senate moved Monday toward adding a new requirement for high-school graduation: passing the same civics test given to immigrants seeking U.S. citizenship.
The Senate endorsed SB60 on a 19-10 preliminary vote. A final Senate vote is expected later this week.
Several senators argued it would create a foolish obstacle for graduation, and some who voted for it warned that they may not support final passage unless changes are made.
"We cannot continue to have an electorate that is civilly illiterate," said the bill's sponsor, Rep. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper. "We believe that by requiring this, we will have a better educated and informed citizenry."
The bill would require asking all 100 questions that immigrants must study, and students must answer at least 70 percent correctly to graduate. Immigrants are only asked 10 of the 100 questions, and need only a 60 percent score to pass.
Sen. Margaret Dayton, R-Orem, unsuccessfully proposed raising the level needed to pass to 80 percent. She said it is a "sacred assignment to understand the government of their country for which people have given their lives," and students should be able to pass it at a B-level.
She and others argued the questions are easy, and that should be no problem. Sen. Lyle Hillyard, R-Logan, asked, "If it's so easy, why do we do it," and questioned the wisdom of adding another test.
The Senate raised the pass-level from the 60 percent in the original bill to the 70 percent level as a compromise.
Several senators opposed adding another test before graduation, regardless of the scoring question.
"What we are trying to do is put one more obstacle in the way of children from being able to graduate from high school," said Senate Minority Leader Gene Davis, D-Salt Lake City.
He said adding the test is part of the agenda of the Joe Foss Initiative, a national civics group. "We should be making sure children spend more time in the classroom rather than on some national agenda that doesn't do what it's intended to do." He said the information on the test is already taught in history and civics courses.
Sen. Karen Mayne, D-West Valley City, noted that legislators must take an annual ethics tutorial. It does not grade them, but makes them read and answer questions — and tells them what they missed. She argued they should do the same with the civics test, and make it a non-graded tutorial. "We don't test them, we teach."
Sen. Todd Weiler, R-Woods Cross, said he likes the goal of the bill, but fears it would ask too many questions and take too much time — worries expressed by others. He said he would offer an amendment later this week to cut the test to ask 50 questions or fewer.