Anti-NGSS bill dies in Michigan

Michigan's House Bill 4972, which would, if enacted, have required that Michigan's "model core academic curriculum standards shall not be based on the Next Generation Science Standards," died in the House Committee on Education when the legislature adjourned on December 19, 2014.

Although the bill's primary sponsor, Tom McMillin (R-District 45), told the Petoskey News-Review (September 18, 2013) that he was primarily worried about "turning over our standards to unelected bodies," he and cosponsor Greg MacMaster (R-District 105) also acknowledged their concern about the NGSS's inclusion of global warming. "It does get into controversial issues such as man-made global warming as fact,” said McMillin. "That's still somewhat controversial."

Michigan, as one of the twenty-six states that collaborated in the development of the NGSS, is committed to giving serious consideration to their adoption. Michigan Radio (November 18, 2014) predicted that the state board of education would adopt the NGSS, or a Michiganized version thereof, perhaps as soon as December 2014.