[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 62 (Tuesday, April 29, 2014)]
[House]
[Page H3276]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
THE NATIONAL CONSTITUTION COMPETITION
(Mr. BLUMENAUER asked and was given permission to address the House
for 1 minute.)
Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, last night it was my honor to be in the
audience as Lincoln High School from Portland, Oregon, won the national
Constitution competition. This is a terrific program. The We the People
competition has been going on since 1987. It has involved almost 28
million youngsters, nearly 100,000 coaches and teachers, where young
people do a deep dive into constitutional underpinnings. I will tell
you, these students were no different.
I am pleased that this is the third year in a row that Portland,
Oregon, has won: Lincoln 2 years ago, Grant High School, Lincoln again
this year.
These are outstanding young men and women. It has been my privilege
to have had an opportunity to work with them during their preparation.
I am continually impressed with their insight and their commitment.
There is a lot of concern about the state of civic education in the
United States today, and rightly so. But these young trailblazers are
showing the ability of young people to master the subject, make a
commitment, and they are sowing the seeds for productive careers for
years to come.
I hope some day this Congress will see fit to once again support this
civic education program, which we had done until 2 years ago. It is
time to reconsider and see if we can be a partner as well.
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