On Thursday, only two Democrats joined every Republican to pass a bill sponsored by Speaker of the House Ben Toma aimed at remembering the victims of communism and teaching Arizona students about the atrocities of communist regimes.
| AGUILAR | N | AUSTIN | N | BIASIUCCI | Y | ||
| BLATTMAN | N | BLISS | Y | CARBONE | Y | ||
| CARTER | Y | CHAPLIK | Y | CONTRERAS L | N | ||
| CONTRERAS P | N | COOK | Y | CREWS | N | ||
| DE LOS SANTOS | N | DIAZ | Y | DUNN | Y | ||
| GILLETTE | Y | GRANTHAM | Y | GRESS | Y | ||
| GRIFFIN | Y | GUTIERREZ | N | HEAP | Y | ||
| HENDRIX | Y | HERNANDEZ A | Y | HERNANDEZ C | Y | ||
| HERNANDEZ L | N | HERNANDEZ M | N | HODGE | N | ||
| JONES | Y | KOLODIN | Y | LIGUORI | N | ||
| LIVINGSTON | Y | LUCKING | N | MARSHALL | Y | ||
| MARTINEZ | Y | MATHIS | N | MCGARR | Y | ||
| MONTENEGRO | Y | NGUYEN | Y | ORTIZ | N | ||
| PARKER B | Y | PARKER J | Y | PAWLIK | N | ||
| PAYNE | Y | PEÑA | Y | PESHLAKAI | N | ||
| PINGERELLI | Y | QUIÑONEZ | N | SANDOVAL | N | ||
| SCHWIEBERT | N | SEAMAN | N | SMITH | Y | ||
| STAHL HAMILTON | N | SUN | V | TERECH | N | ||
| TRAVERS | N | TSOSIE | N | VILLEGAS | N | ||
| WILLOUGHBY | Y | WILMETH | Y | TOMA | Y |
“Teaching Arizona students about the evils of communism shouldn’t be a partisan issue, yet here we are,” said Toma. “Thankfully, Republicans get it. As someone who lived in communist Romania, I can attest that Marxist ideology has left a lasting scar on our world. For more than 100 years and over 100 million lives lost, the legacy of communism is death, oppression, deprivation, economic suffering, and families being torn apart. It’s important to educate about this dark history, to ensure that the atrocities of communism are never forgotten, and future generations can learn from those who suffered in the past and gain a deeper appreciation for the democratic principles that underpin our free society.”
Toma’s bill, HB 2629, establishes November 7 of each year as Victims of Communism Day in Arizona, joining many other states that have enacted similar legislation.
The bill also places an educational focus on the study of the history of communist regimes. The State Board of Education (SBE) would be tasked with developing a list of recommended resources on the history of communism that align with academic standards in statute. Starting in the 2024-2025 school year, high school taking American government courses will have at least 45 minutes of classroom instruction on the history of global communist regimes, encompassing figures such as Mao Zedong, Joseph Stalin, Fidel Castro, Vladimir Lenin, Pol Pot, and Nicolas Maduro. Students would learn about how victims suffered under such regimes, through poverty, starvation, forced migration, lethal violence, and the suppression of speech.
Representative Quang Nguyen, whose family fled Viet Nam, was shocked by the fact that only two Democrats supported the bill.
Nguyen, Chairman the House Judiciary Committee, said, “I think if my colleagues on the other side of the aisle grew up under a communist regime, as Ben and I both did, this vote would have been unanimous. Opposing the education of Arizona students on the history of communism and those who have suffered from it is an extreme and shameful position that’s hard for Democrats to defend. And it’s certainly far from where most Arizona parents stand.”
Similar educational observances easily passed the Legislature with bipartisan support, including Sandra Day O’Connor Civics Celebration Day and 9/11 Education Day, both requiring related school instruction for some portion of the day.