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Bill

A 3865

Relates to including the mourning dove within the definition of "migratory game birds" and to allow for their taking

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Brian Miller

Requires public schools to teach cursive reading/writing for grades 3-5, aiming for end-of-5 proficiency; districts must implement materials and teacher training, with unspecified funding.

REFERRED TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION
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Bill Summary · A 3865

Summary — Assembly Bill A3865

Note on conflicting metadata
- The bill record provided includes two conflicting titles. One title references migratory game birds (mourning dove), but the bill text and committee statement supplied clearly concern cursive handwriting instruction. This summary is based on the committee-reported text and statement concerning cursive handwriting instruction.

Main purpose

Require public school boards of education to include instruction in cursive handwriting reading and writing in the curriculum for elementary grades, so students become proficient in reading cursive and writing legibly in cursive.

Key provisions

  • Curriculum requirement: School districts must include instruction on reading and writing cursive.
  • Grade range (as amended): Instruction is to be included for students in grades 3 through 5.
  • Proficiency expectation (as amended): The curriculum must include activities and instructional materials designed to help students become proficient in reading cursive and legibly writing in cursive by the end of grade 5.
  • Instructional content: Emphasizes age-appropriate activities and resources to teach students to read cursive documents and write in cursive.
  • (Introduced version) The original introduced text required K–5 instruction and set proficiency by the end of grade 3 and stated the act would take effect immediately and apply to the first full school year after enactment. Committee amendments changed the grade span and the target grade for proficiency; final effective date will depend on the enacted version.

Who is affected

  • School districts and boards of education: responsible for adopting and implementing curriculum changes.
  • Elementary students: specifically those in grades 3–5 under the committee-amended text.
  • Teachers and curriculum developers: will need to integrate cursive instruction and may require materials and professional development.
  • Parents and caregivers: may see changes in elementary instruction and homework expectations.

Rationale cited

  • Cognitive and motor-skill benefits associated with learning cursive (committee statement references research on brain activation).
  • Ability to read historical documents (e.g., founding documents written in cursive) and practical skills such as signing one’s name.

Procedural / timeline status

  • Introduced in the Assembly: February 27, 2024.
  • Referred to Assembly Education Committee.
  • Reported out of Assembly Education Committee with amendments: March 10, 2025 (2nd Reading).
  • Legislative actions list also contained an item “REFERRED TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION (2025-01-30)” which appears inconsistent with the education-related content and may reflect a metadata error.
  • Companion / related legislation: S2712 (companion) and prior-session bills (S7202, S1598, A6523, A4565, S1482).

Potential impacts and considerations

  • Implementation costs: possible need for instructional materials, classroom time reallocation, and teacher training; no specific funding is provided in the bill text.
  • Standards alignment: districts will need to determine how cursive instruction fits with existing literacy standards and assessments.
  • Variation in implementation: districts may adopt differing approaches and timelines unless the final law or Department of Education issues guidance.

Sponsors

  • Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson and other co-sponsors listed in the committee report; primary sponsor attribution in metadata is inconsistent (Brian D. Miller listed elsewhere). The committee-reported version lists multiple Assembly sponsors (Reynolds-Jackson, Speight, Bagolie) and co-sponsors.

If you want, I can produce a one-page brief for school administrators outlining steps for implementation, estimated costs, and sample lesson components.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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