If the proposal also is approved by the Republican-controlled House, Hoosier students still won't be learning or memorizing any facts about their state senators. There are no questions about the structure or operation of state government on the U.S. citizenship test.

An opponent of the measure, state Sen. Eddie Melton, D-Gary, said he understands and supports the goal of improving what Hoosiers know about government.

But he said making it a high school graduation requirement is the wrong way to go about it.

"This concerns me as one more mandate that we're going to put on our teachers and our students," Melton said. "Some students are just not excellent test-takers."

State Sen. Mark Stoops, D-Bloomington, added that forcing students to memorize facts about American government in high school isn't going to make them more likely to recognize their state senator years or decades later.

"If you think about those kids that can't remember certain details from American history when they're asked on the spot, think about what else they would have forgotten from their high school years," Stoops sad.

"Whether it's math or English or any other subject, chances are they're not going to be able to give a correct answer to those, either."