[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 85 (Friday, June 14, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E877]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2014

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                            HON. JOHN KLINE

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 13, 2013

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the state of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 1960) to 
     authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2014 for military 
     activities of the Department of Defense and for military 
     construction, to prescribe military personnel strengths for 
     such fiscal year, and for other purposes:

  Mr. KLINE. Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of my bipartisan 
amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act. The Kline-Hunter-
Andrew-Polis amendment ensures the students I serve in Minnesota and 
throughout classrooms around the Nation are treated equally and given 
the same opportunities to enlist in the Armed Forces.
  Currently, students who earn a high school diploma from charter 
schools, home schools, schools that use blended learning models, and 
other means of virtual education are required to score significantly 
higher on the Armed Forces Qualification Test than students enrolled in 
traditional secondary schools.
  This policy, continued by the Department of Defense, disregards 
congressional intent established in the National Defense Authorization 
Act for Fiscal Year 2012.
  Mr. Chair, as you know it is imperative that the recruiting and 
selection policies for enlistment are not only fair and consistent, but 
also in step with the evolution of the way our nation's students 
achieve a high school diploma.
  Despite studies that show education credential tiers do not 
consistently reflect the attrition patterns of recruits, DOD continues 
to insist where you receive your education is the single best predictor 
of your ability to successfully adapt to service.
  The bipartisan Kline-Hunter-Andrews-Polis amendment would put DOD 
back in line with the law and require them to set recruitment and 
enlistment policies that end this discriminatory requirement.
  As Chairman of the House Committee on Education and Workforce, a 
member of the Armed Services Committee, and a retired Marine Colonel, I 
have a unique and fortunate position to ensure the young men and women 
enlisting in our Armed Forces have the best opportunity to support the 
defense of our nation.
  Mr. Chair, the continuous innovation in education requires the 
adaptation of our recruiting policies. I urge my colleagues to support 
the dream of military service for all patriotic Americans who simply 
want the chance to be able to raise their hand and pledge to defend our 
nation without unnecessary burdens.
  I urge my colleagues to support the Kline-Hunter-Andrews-Polis 
amendment.

                          ____________________