H.R. 2585: Armenian Genocide Education Act

H.R. 2585, the Armenian Genocide Education Act, would set up a national education program at the Library of Congress focused on the 1915–1923 mass killing and expulsion of Armenians and other Christian minorities in the Ottoman Empire. It authorizes up to $2 million a year for five years.

The Library's job would have four parts. It would build classroom resources (digital materials are required; print materials and traveling exhibits are optional), set out sound methods for teaching the subject, and train teachers through local and national workshops and a fellowship program. It would also work with state and local education leaders to bring the materials into classes across subjects, and study whether the effort is working.

Schools opt in. Districts, independent schools, and groups that work with them would apply, and each participant would sign an agreement spelling out what help the Library provides and for how long. Schools and districts that offer no Armenian Genocide education today would get priority over those that already do.

No state or school would be required to teach the subject — the bill builds resources and encourages their use, but writes no mandate.

The bill's findings list decades of U.S. recognition: a 1951 government statement to the International Court of Justice, President Reagan's 1981 proclamation, House and Senate resolutions in 2019, and President Biden's 2021 statement. The findings also say denial of the genocide continues to find forums, especially online, and argue that education would make young people less susceptible to it.

The Library could accept private donations, held in a dedicated account that can be spent only on this program. It would report to Congress on its activities every February.