Arizona lawmakers are advancing a bill to make high schools follow a recent directive from President Donald Trump to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.
HB 2700 would require "the State Board of Education (SBE) to include instruction on the Gulf of America when next updating the high school social studies academic standards."
Backed by 17 Republican co-sponsors, Rep. Teresa Martinez introduced the bill and says this is about aligning with the president’s view.
“I do think words matter, I do think language is important, and I do think in order to start teaching patriotism, the love of your country in small children, that we have to call things what they are called," Martinez said.
The Democratic House minority leader says the bill is silly and should not be a legislative priority.
A recent Marquette University poll shows that the name change is deeply unpopular nationwide.
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