By: Jacob Kessler
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
jacob@thevillagereporter.com
The Ohio House of Representatives has approved House Bill 486, legislation titled the “Charlie Kirk American Heritage Act,” which would permit public school teachers and instructors at state colleges and universities to include instruction on the positive impacts of religion in American history.
The bill passed the House on November 19 by a vote of 62 to 27. According to the official roll call, all Republicans who voted supported the bill, while all Democrats who voted opposed it. The measure now awaits consideration in the Ohio Senate.
House Bill 486 amends several sections of state law and creates new sections that allow teachers, when providing instruction on American history, to also provide instruction on what the legislation describes as the “historical, positive impact of religion on American history” and the influence of “Judeo-Christian values” on the nation’s freedoms and culture.
The bill does not require specific curriculum changes and does not mandate that schools teach religious material.
The text of the bill lists a series of example topics that instruction may include, such as the authentic history of the pilgrims and their church organization, references to divine providence in the Declaration of Independence, debates over the separation of church and state, the role of religious leaders in the founding era, the influence of religion on the civil rights movement, and the work of figures such as Booker T. Washington, Frederick Douglass, Martin Luther King Jr., and Billy Graham. These examples are expressly framed as optional content rather than required material.
Committee records show that a wide range of groups and individuals submitted testimony on House Bill 486. Among the supporters were representatives of college Republican organizations and other young Republican groups, who argued the bill would affirm teachers’ ability to discuss religion’s role in American history without fear of discipline.
Opponent testimony came from organizations including the Ohio Council for the Social Studies, the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati, and civil liberties groups such as the ACLU of Ohio, whose representatives contended that existing law already allows teachers to address religion in its historical context and that the bill’s focus is too narrow.
The legislation is named in honor of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who founded the youth organization Turning Point USA.
On September 10, 2025, Kirk was shot while speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, and later died as a result of his injuries. Utah County prosecutors have charged Tyler James Robinson, 22, with aggravated murder and related offenses in connection with the killing, and court records show he is being held in custody while awaiting trial.
With passage in the House, the “Charlie Kirk American Heritage Act” now moves to the Ohio Senate, where it awaits further consideration.