[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 76 (Tuesday, June 5, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1012]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT OF 2001

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                               speech of

                             HON. JOE BACA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 23, 2001

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 1) to close 
     the achievement gap with accountability, flexibility, and 
     choice, so that no child is left behind:

  Mr. BACA. Mr. Chairman, I wish to elaborate on my vote in favor of 
final passage of H.R. 1, The Leave No Child Behind Act (Roll #145)
  I strongly support the increased education funding this measure 
provides. Education is the number one priority for the American people, 
including under-served populations, such as Hispanics. We recognize 
that education is our path to the American dream. Unfortunately, 
Hispanic children remain among the most educationally disadvantaged of 
all public school students, suffering from high poverty, high dropout 
rates and language barriers. With significant increases in the number 
of Hispanic children attending our nation's schools, we must, as 
leaders of this great nation, remain committed to their unique 
educational needs. We cannot allow the final conference education bill 
to leave our nation's children behind.
  I would like to emphasize, though, that I remain deeply committed to 
bilingual and migrant education programs, and I was disappointed that 
the version of the bill brought to the House floor did not sufficiently 
address adequate funding for those programs. I urge the Conference 
Committee to safeguard these programs. Seventy-five percent of the 4.1 
million Limited English Proficient (LEP) children are Hispanic and 
speak Spanish as their first language. These students face the daunting 
challenge of learning a new language (English) while also keeping up 
with academic subjects like math and science. I therefore strongly 
support increased bilingual education funding but without instructional 
time limits, parental notification and consent requirements. I 
furthermore strongly support increased funding for the Migrant 
Education Program. Roughly 800,000 Hispanic children in our schools are 
from migrant families. These migrant children move from farm to farm, 
place to place, constantly interrupting their education. The Migrant 
Education Program must have a national focus that transcends those 
geographical barriers that form the educational systems for most 
children.
  The final ESEA reauthorization coming out of conference is an 
excellent opportunity to address these unique educational needs of 
Hispanic school children. Hispanic children, migrant children, are our 
nation's children, our nation's future. We must live up to our 
commitment to ``Leave No Child Behind.''

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