State Legislators Work to Give Students Practical Civics Lesson

Dover, DE – June 16th: Senator David P. Sokola (D-Newark) has introduced legislation as part of an annual
effort to give Delaware students a practical demonstration into the operation of the legislative process.
Sen. Sokola, the chair of the Senate Education Committee, is sponsoring Senate Concurrent Resolution 19
as part of the Delaware Civics Standard 4 Project (Delaware C4). "With this bill students will receive firsthand
exposure to how our government operates,” Sen. Sokola said. “The nature of SCR 19 will also prompt
reflection on the rich history that has shaped the democratic process we enjoy today.”

Senate Concurrent Resolution 19 calls for Delaware to ratify the 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Officially added to the Constitution in 1913, the amendment specifies the standards for the popular election of
U.S. Senators. Delaware is one of 13 states that has never yet formally ratified the amendment more than 70
years after it became a part of the Constitution.

“This is a good lesson for students using an easily understood issue having historical resonance,” said State
House Majority Leader Wayne Smith (R-Brandywine Hundred North), the lead House sponsor of SCR 19.
“Our annual practice of identifying a ‘student bill’ to walk through the General Assembly, with the active
participation of students, is a wonderful chance to stamp our young citizens with an indelible civics lesson.”

The "Delaware C4" Project is sponsored by the Democracy Project, a program of the University of
Delaware's Institute for Public Administration designed to enrich the teaching of history and civics in public
schools. Once the 2005 school year begins, the Democracy Project wi ll provide 4th, 5th, and 6th grade
teachers with a packet of information on SCR 19 with suggested activities. Throughout the fall, students will
learn about the bill and amendment process. They will be encouraged to communicate with their respective
legislators about the bill and about government operations.

In the spring, House and Senate committee hearings will be held, allowing students to testify in support of
the bill. Students will also have a chance to witness the bill being debated and voted on in each chamber as it
works its way through the legislature and on to the governor.

Supporters of the Delaware C4 Project hope that students will receive firsthand exposure to the legislative
process and ways in which citizens can become both informed and active.

Prior to adoption of the 17th Amendment to the U. S. Constitution, U. S. Senators throughout the nation
were elected not by popular vote, but by joint sessions of each state's legisla ture, a process that had frequently
led to problems. One of the most notorious cases occurred in Delaware during the 1890s and early 1900s
when a factional dispute within the state's Republican Party over which candidate should get the U.S. Senate
seat led to Delaware being entirely without representation in the Senate for a period of several years.