[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 89 (Tuesday, June 15, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H4437-H4438]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        INTRODUCING THE TEEN PARENTS GRADUATION AND COLLEGE ACT

  (Ms. CHU asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Ms. CHU. The author Robin Cook wrote that ``education is more than a 
luxury. It is a responsibility that society owes to itself.'' Our 
country far too

[[Page H4438]]

often neglects this duty. Every year, nearly 750,000 American teens 
become pregnant. Every year, 70 percent of these new teen mothers drop 
out of school. Every year, the lack of services to keep low-income 
parents in school focuses this problem on our Nation's most 
underprivileged communities.
  That's why I have introduced the Teen Parents Graduation and College 
Act. This bill would fund grants to help teen parents finish high 
school and college. It would provide tutoring and child care and 
counseling to help them succeed. It would let teen parents and their 
children lead better, fuller lives. This basic support is the least we 
owe our young people. Together we will ensure that the beginning of a 
new life doesn't mark the end of an education.

                          ____________________