[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 108 (Monday, July 13, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1056]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          STUDENT SUCCESS ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                            HON. BARBARA LEE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 25, 2015

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the state of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 5) to 
     support State and local accountability for public education, 
     protect State and local authority, inform parents of the 
     performance of their children's schools, and for other 
     purposes:

  Ms. LEE. Mr. Chair, I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 5, the so-
called Student Success Act, which should really be called the Letting 
Our Students Down Act.
  Instead of making much needed improvements to the Elementary and 
Secondary Education Act (ESEA), H.R. 5 would weaken critical federal 
protections for our most vulnerable--including students of color, 
students with disabilities, low-income students, English-language 
learners (ELL), migrant students and LGBT students. It would gut our 
nation's education funding by foolishly locking in Fiscal Year (FY) 
2015 funding levels for the next 6 years--with no exceptions to adjust 
for inflation.
  H.R. 5 would also divert critical Title I funds away from the highest 
poverty schools and districts--undermining our nation's commitment to 
ensuring that all students--regardless of their zip code or where they 
were born--should have equal access to high-quality education.
  This is outrageous and it is wrong.
  Simply put, H.R. 5 undermines our promise to students that they will 
have equal access to high-quality education.
  So let's defeat this egregious bill and work to reauthorize ESEA that 
will reinvest in our future, help close the achievement gap, and 
prepare our students for a 21st Century workforce.
  I urge my colleagues to vote NO on H.R. 5.

                          ____________________