[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 111 (Thursday, July 16, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Page S5133]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        EVERY CHILD ACHIEVES ACT

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, the pundits told us it would never 
happen. Republicans and Democrats will never agree on a way to replace 
No Child Left Behind, they said. But a new Senate that is back to work 
is proving them wrong. We are poised to pass bipartisan legislation 
that will replace an education law that no longer works with 
significant education reforms that will work.
  It is a bipartisan bill that would take decisionmaking power away 
from distant Federal bureaucrats and empower parents, teachers, States, 
and school boards instead. It is a bipartisan bill that would end the 
practice of States being coerced into adopting measures such as Common 
Core. It is a bipartisan bill that would substitute one-size-fits-all 
Washington mandates for greater State and local flexibility.
  Because the needs of a student in Kentucky aren't likely to be the 
same as the needs of a student in Montana or California, this is a bill 
that would clear the way for educational standards and programs to be 
designed with the needs of local students in mind. In short, the Every 
Child Achieves Act is aimed at helping students succeed instead of 
helping Washington grow.
  I urge colleagues to join me in passing it soon. That would be a big 
achievement for our kids, and it would be another reminder of what is 
possible in a Senate that is back to work for the American people.
  After all, what did our constituents see in this debate? They saw 
Senators they sent to Washington, regardless of party, having their 
voices heard. They saw Senators working across the aisle. They saw 
Senators of both parties offering amendment after amendment and then 
voting to adopt many of them.
  On this bill alone, the new Senate has already taken rollcall votes 
on 17 amendments. We expect to take up to 6 more today. Just to put 
that in perspective, the new Senate will have taken more amendment 
rollcall votes on this single bill alone than the old Senate took all 
of last year on all bills combined. That is something we should all 
want to celebrate because it means the voices of the American people 
are being heard again here in the Senate.
  So I want to thank the senior Senators from Tennessee and Washington 
for all of their hard work on this bill. Their continued dedication 
helped to lead us to the point where we are today.
  I also want to acknowledge the efforts of the House of 
Representatives on this issue. The Republican-led House passed 
legislation to address this issue the past few years, but the old 
Senate did not act. This year the Senate, under new management, is 
poised to finally do its job. We look forward to going to conference 
with the House on this issue.
  But first, we must pass the bill before us. So let's keep the 
productive momentum going. Let's pass this bill, and let's replace No 
Child Left Behind once and for all.
  After all, we have already seen how States such as Kentucky have been 
able to achieve more success by obtaining just a limited amount of 
flexibility from the current law via conditional waivers. Just imagine 
what Kentucky and other States can achieve when fully empowered to do 
what is right for their students.

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