[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 13 (Tuesday, January 24, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H662-H666]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
REINFORCING EDUCATION ACCOUNTABILITY IN DEVELOPMENT ACT
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
pass the bill (H.R. 601) to enhance the transparency and accelerate the
impact of assistance provided under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961
to promote quality basic education in developing countries, to better
enable such countries to achieve universal access to quality basic
education and improved learning outcomes, to eliminate duplication and
waste, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 601
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the
``Reinforcing Education Accountability in Development Act''
or the ``READ Act''.
(b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act
is as follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Definitions.
Sec. 3. Assistance to promote sustainable, quality basic education.
Sec. 4. Comprehensive integrated United States strategy to promote
basic education.
Sec. 5. Improving coordination and oversight.
Sec. 6. Monitoring and evaluation of programs.
Sec. 7. Transparency and reporting to Congress.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
(a) Appropriate Congressional Committees.--In this Act, the
term ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
(1) the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate;
(2) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate;
(3) the Committee on Appropriations of the House of
Representatives; and
(4) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of
Representatives.
(b) Other Definitions.--In this Act, the terms ``basic
education'', ``marginalized children and vulnerable groups'',
``national education plan'', ``partner country'', and
``relevant Executive branch agencies and officials'' have the
meanings given such terms in section 105(c) of the Foreign
Assistance Act of 1961, as added by section 3.
SEC. 3. ASSISTANCE TO PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE, QUALITY BASIC
EDUCATION.
Section 105 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22
U.S.C. 2151c) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(c) Assistance To Promote Sustainable, Quality Basic
Education.--
``(1) Definitions.--In this subsection:
``(A) Basic education.--The term `basic education'
includes--
``(i) measurable improvements in literacy, numeracy, and
other basic skills development that prepare an individual to
be an active, productive member of society and the workforce;
``(ii) workforce development, vocational training, and
digital literacy informed by real market needs and
opportunities and that results in measurable improvements in
employment;
``(iii) programs and activities designed to demonstrably
improve--
``(I) early childhood, preprimary education, primary
education, and secondary education, which can be delivered in
formal or nonformal education settings; and
``(II) learning for out-of-school youth and adults; and
``(iv) capacity building for teachers, administrators,
counselors, and youth workers that results in measurable
improvements in student literacy, numeracy, or employment.
``(B) Communities of learning.--The term `communities of
learning' means a holistic approach to education and
community engagement in which schools act as the primary
resource center for delivery of a service to the community at
large, leveraging and maximizing the impact of other
development efforts and reducing duplication and waste.
``(C) Gender parity in basic education.--The term `gender
parity in basic education' means that girls and boys have
equal access to quality basic education.
``(D) Marginalized children and vulnerable groups.--The
term `marginalized children and vulnerable groups' includes
girls, children affected by or emerging from armed conflict
or humanitarian crises, children with disabilities, children
in remote or rural areas (including those who lack access to
safe water and sanitation), religious or ethnic minorities,
indigenous peoples, orphans and children affected by HIV/
AIDS, child laborers, married adolescents, and victims of
trafficking.
``(E) National education plan.--The term `national
education plan' means a comprehensive national education plan
developed by partner country governments in consultation with
other stakeholders as a means for wide-scale improvement of
the country's education system, including explicit, credible
strategies informed by effective practices and standards to
achieve quality universal basic education.
``(F) Nonformal education.--The term `nonformal education'
means organized educational activities outside the
established formal system, whether operating separately or as
an important feature of a broader activity, that are intended
to provide students with measurable improvements in literacy,
numeracy, and other basic skills development that prepare an
individual to be an active, productive member of society and
the workforce.
``(G) Partner country.--The term `partner country' means a
developing country that participates in or benefits from
basic education programs under this subsection pursuant to
the prioritization criteria described in paragraph (4),
including level of need, opportunity for impact, and the
availability of resources.
``(H) Relevant executive branch agencies and officials.--
The term `relevant Executive branch agencies and officials'
means the Department of State, the United States Agency for
International Development, the Department of the Treasury,
the Department of Labor, the Department of Education, the
Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Defense, the
Chief Executive Officer of the Millennium Challenge
Corporation, the National Security Advisor, and the Director
of the Peace Corps.
``(I) Sustainability.--The term `sustainability' means,
with respect to any basic education program that receives
funding pursuant to this section, the ability of a service
delivery system, community, partner, or beneficiary to
maintain, over time, such basic education program without the
use of foreign assistance.
``(2) Policy.--In carrying out this section, it shall be
the policy of the United States to work with partner
countries, as appropriate, other donors, multilateral
institutions, the private sector, and nongovernmental and
civil society organizations, including faith-based
organizations and organizations that represent teachers,
students, and parents, to promote sustainable, quality basic
education through programs and activities that--
``(A) take into consideration and help respond to the
needs, capacities, and commitment of developing countries to
achieve measurable improvements in literacy, numeracy, and
other basic skills development that prepare an individual to
be an active, productive member of society and the workforce;
``(B) strengthen educational systems, promote communities
of learning, as appropriate, expand access to safe learning
environments, including by breaking down specific barriers to
basic education for women and girls, ensure continuity of
education, including in conflict settings, measurably improve
teacher skills and learning outcomes, and support the
engagement of parents in the education of their children to
help partner countries ensure that all children, including
marginalized children and other vulnerable groups, have
access to and benefit from quality basic education;
``(C) promote education as a foundation for sustained
economic growth and development within a comprehensive
assistance strategy that places partner countries on a
trajectory
[[Page H663]]
toward graduation from assistance provided under this section
with clearly defined benchmarks of success that are used as
requirements for related procurement vehicles, such as
grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements; and
``(D) monitor and evaluate the effectiveness and quality of
basic education programs in partner countries.
``(3) Principles.--In carrying out the policy referred to
in paragraph (2), the United States shall be guided by the
following principles of aid effectiveness:
``(A) Alignment.--Assistance provided under this section to
support programs and activities under this subsection shall
be aligned with and advance United States foreign policy and
economic interests.
``(B) Country ownership.--To the greatest extent
practicable, assistance provided under this section to
support programs and activities under this subsection should
be aligned with and support the national education plans and
country development strategies of partner countries,
including activities that are appropriate for and meet the
needs of local and indigenous cultures.
``(C) Coordination.--
``(i) In general.--Assistance provided under this section
to support programs and activities under this subsection
should be coordinated with and leverage the unique
capabilities and resources of local and national governments
in partner countries, other donors, multilateral
institutions, the private sector, and nongovernmental and
civil society organizations, including faith-based
organizations and organizations that represent teachers,
students, and parents.
``(ii) Multilateral programs and initiatives.--Assistance
provided under this section to support programs and
activities under this subsection should be coordinated with
and support proven multilateral education programs and
financing mechanisms, which may include the Global
Partnership for Education, that demonstrate commitment to
efficiency, effectiveness, transparency, and accountability.
``(D) Efficiency.--The President shall seek to improve the
efficiency and effectiveness of assistance provided under
this section to support programs and activities under this
subsection by coordinating the related efforts of relevant
Executive branch agencies and officials.
``(E) Effectiveness.--Programs and activities supported
under this subsection--
``(i) shall be consistent with the policies and principles
set forth in this subsection;
``(ii) shall be designed to achieve specific, measurable
goals and objectives that are directly related to the
provision of basic education (as defined in this section);
and
``(iii) shall include appropriate targets, metrics, and
indicators that--
``(I) move a country along the path to graduation from
assistance provided under this subsection; and
``(II) can be applied with reasonable consistency across
such programs and activities to measure progress and
outcomes.
``(F) Transparency and accountability.--Programs and
activities supported under this subsection shall be subject
to rigorous monitoring and evaluation, which may include
impact evaluations, the results of which shall be made
publically available in a fully searchable, electronic
format.
``(4) Priority and other requirements.--The President shall
ensure that assistance provided under this section to support
programs and activities under this subsection is aligned with
the foreign policy and economic interests of the United
States and, subject to such alignment, priority is given to
developing countries in which--
``(A) there is the greatest need and opportunity to expand
access to basic education and to improve learning outcomes,
including for marginalized and vulnerable groups,
particularly women and girls to ensure gender parity in basic
education, or populations affected by conflict or crisis; and
``(B) such assistance can produce a substantial, measurable
impact on children and educational systems.''.
SEC. 4. COMPREHENSIVE INTEGRATED UNITED STATES STRATEGY TO
PROMOTE BASIC EDUCATION.
(a) Strategy Required.--Not later than October 1, 2017, the
President shall submit to the appropriate congressional
committees a comprehensive United States strategy to be
carried out during fiscal years 2018 through 2022 to promote
quality basic education in partner countries by--
(1) seeking to equitably expand access to basic education
for all children, particularly marginalized children and
vulnerable groups; and
(2) measurably improving the quality of basic education and
learning outcomes.
(b) Requirement To Consult.--In developing the strategy
required under subsection (a), the President shall consult
with--
(1) the appropriate congressional committees;
(2) relevant Executive branch agencies and officials;
(3) partner country governments; and
(4) local and international nongovernmental organizations,
including faith-based organizations and organizations
representing students, teachers, and parents, and other
development partners engaged in basic education assistance
programs in developing countries.
(c) Public Comment.--The President shall provide an
opportunity for public comment on the strategy required under
subsection (a).
(d) Elements.--The strategy required under subsection (a)--
(1) shall be developed and implemented consistent with the
principles set forth in section 105(c) of the Foreign
Assistance Act of 1961, as added by section 3; and
(2) shall seek--
(A) to prioritize assistance provided under this subsection
to countries that are partners of the United States and whose
populations are most in need of improved basic education, as
determined by indicators such as literacy and numeracy rates;
(B) to build the capacity of relevant actors in partner
countries, including in government and in civil society, to
develop and implement national education plans that
measurably improve basic education;
(C) to identify and replicate successful interventions that
improve access to and quality of basic education in conflict
settings and in partner countries;
(D) to project general levels of resources needed to
achieve stated program objectives;
(E) to develop means to track implementation in partner
countries and ensure that such countries are expending
appropriate domestic resources and instituting any relevant
legal, regulatory, or institutional reforms needed to achieve
stated program objectives;
(F) to leverage United States capabilities, including
through technical assistance, training, and research; and
(G) to improve coordination and reduce duplication among
relevant Executive branch agencies and officials, other
donors, multilateral institutions, nongovernmental
organizations, and governments in partner countries.
SEC. 5. IMPROVING COORDINATION AND OVERSIGHT.
(a) Senior Coordinator of United States International Basic
Education Assistance.--There is established within the United
States Agency for International Development a Senior
Coordinator of United States International Basic Education
Assistance (referred to in this section as the ``Senior
Coordinator''). The Senior Coordinator shall be appointed by
the President, shall be a current USAID employee serving in a
career or noncareer position in the Senior Executive Service
or at the level of a Deputy Assistant Administrator or
higher, and shall serve concurrently as the Senior
Coordinator.
(b) Duties.--
(1) In general.--The Senior Coordinator shall have primary
responsibility for the oversight and coordination of all
resources and activities of the United States Government
relating to the promotion of international basic education
programs and activities.
(2) Specific duties.--The Senior Coordinator shall--
(A) facilitate program and policy coordination of
international basic education programs and activities among
relevant Executive branch agencies and officials, partner
governments, multilateral institutions, the private sector,
and nongovernmental and civil society organizations;
(B) develop and revise the strategy required under section
4;
(C) monitor, evaluate, and report on activities undertaken
pursuant to the strategy required under section 4; and
(D) establish due diligence criteria for all recipients of
funds provided by the United States to carry out activities
under this Act and the amendments made by this Act.
(c) Offset.--In order to eliminate duplication of effort
and activities and to offset any costs incurred by the United
States Agency for International Development in appointing the
Senior Coordinator under subsection (a), the President shall,
after consulting with appropriate congressional committees,
eliminate a position within the United States Agency for
International Development (unless otherwise authorized or
required by law) that the President determines to be
necessary to fully offset such costs and eliminate
duplication.
SEC. 6. MONITORING AND EVALUATION OF PROGRAMS.
The President shall seek to ensure that programs carried
out under the strategy required under section 4 shall--
(1) apply rigorous monitoring and evaluation methodologies
to determine if programs and activities provided under this
subsection accomplish measurable improvements in literacy,
numeracy, or other basic skills development that prepare an
individual to be an active, productive member of society and
the workforce;
(2) include methodological guidance in the implementation
plan and support systemic data collection using
internationally comparable indicators, norms, and
methodologies, to the extent practicable and appropriate;
(3) disaggregate all data collected and reported by age,
gender, marital status, disability, and location, to the
extent practicable and appropriate;
(4) include funding for both short- and long-term
monitoring and evaluation to enable assessment of the
sustainability and scalability of assistance programs; and
(5) support the increased use and public availability of
education data for improved decision making, program
effectiveness, and monitoring of global progress.
SEC. 7. TRANSPARENCY AND REPORTING TO CONGRESS.
(a) Annual Report on the Implementation of Strategy.--Not
later than each
[[Page H664]]
March 31 immediately following a fiscal year during which the
strategy developed pursuant to section 4(a) was carried out,
the President shall--
(1) submit a report to the appropriate congressional
committees that describes the implementation of such
strategy; and
(2) make the report described in paragraph (1) available to
the public.
(b) Matters To Be Included.--The report required under
subsection (a) shall include--
(1) a description of the efforts made by relevant Executive
branch agencies and officials to implement the strategy
developed pursuant to section 4, with a particular focus on
the activities carried out under the strategy;
(2) a description of the extent to which each partner
country selected to receive assistance for basic education
meets the priority criteria specified in section 105(c) of
the Foreign Assistance Act, as added by section 3; and
(3) a description of the progress achieved over the
reporting period toward meeting the goals, objectives,
benchmarks, and timeframes specified in the strategy
developed pursuant to section 4 at the program level, as
developed pursuant to monitoring and evaluation specified in
section 6, with particular emphasis on whether there are
demonstrable student improvements in literacy, numeracy, or
other basic skills development that prepare an individual to
be an active, productive member of society and the workforce.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Yoder). Pursuant to the rule, the
gentleman from California (Mr. Royce) and the gentleman from New York
(Mr. Engel) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.
General Leave
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that
all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their
remarks and to include any extraneous material in the Record.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from California?
There was no objection.
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 601, the Reinforcing
Education Accountability and Development Act, or the READ Act. This
bill passed the House at the end of the last Congress in essentially
the same form as H.R. 4481. I am pleased the House has moved to take it
up again today.
We all recognize the importance of education as a driver of economic
growth, social mobility, and overall stability. Education is what
increases the productivity of the workforce. This is what empowers men
and women to better care for themselves and their families. It
increases civic participation.
Even 1 extra year of schooling significantly increases a worker's
earnings over her or his lifespan. For women in particular, a primary
school education is directly correlated very strongly with improved
maternal-child health and improved survival rates.
Yet, around the world, as we know here, there are 120 million
children that are not in school. More than one-third of these children,
as Nita Lowey can testify, come from countries that are embroiled in
war, embroiled in conflict, and many of these recent conflicts have
lasted for over a decade.
We are now seeing entire generations of these young children who are
failing to receive even the most basic education.
You want to talk about a humanitarian crisis?
This is it. There are clear implications for global stability and for
our security.
When children remain out of school, what do they face?
Well, certainly great increased risk of abuse at the hands of
traffickers, forced marriage or marriage as a child bride, and
recruitment by criminal or terrorist organizations.
Nowhere is this harsh reality more clear than in Syria, where 4
million Syrian children are currently out of school. We have had the
opportunity to talk to many of these children on the border and see
what their circumstances are like.
Inside Syria, these children are being shaped by violence and by a
lack of alternatives that place them at high risk of exploitation and
radicalization. As refugees--if you talk to our friends and allies in
the region--they are placing tremendous strain on the education system
in Lebanon, Jordan, and Turkey.
Despite these growing challenges, it has been decades since Congress
reviewed and updated the authorities on which U.S. international basic
education efforts are based.
This bill, the READ Act, introduces the new guidelines and the
increased accountability for existing U.S. efforts to improve access to
basic education in developing and conflict-torn countries. It requires
strategic planning. It requires the prioritization of resources
relative to needs on the ground in these countries and relative to the
potential for impact. It requires alignment with U.S. diplomatic
development and security interests.
Particular emphasis is given to those areas in crisis and those
countries that are partners of the United States that face this
critical challenge, whose populations are most in need, who have
committed their own resources to ensure the success and sustainability
of these efforts, but need our assistance.
It also requires increased attention to what is most important here,
and that is to the specific barriers to education that are faced by
women and girls.
The bill formalizes a senior coordinator position within USAID to
oversee the development and implementation of a strategic plan across
Federal agencies to ensure coordination and eliminate duplication and
waste.
I thank Representative Lowey for her continued bipartisan leadership
on this issue, as well as my committee's ranking member, Mr. Engel, and
the chair of our Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human
Rights, and International Organizations, Mr. Smith, for their work on
this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this legislation.
Again, I thank our chairman, Ed Royce, for his leadership and working
together.
I want to acknowledge my good friend from New York (Mrs. Lowey), who
authored this bill. For years and years, she has been a champion for
access to education here in the United States and around the world.
Like the other bills before us today, we passed this legislation in
the last Congress. I am glad we are taking it up so early this year so
that, hopefully, the Senate can act.
Mr. Speaker, research tells us that more than a quarter billion young
people around the world are not in school. For millions more, the
educational opportunities are substandard. This lack of access puts so
many young people at a tremendous disadvantage. Children should be in
classrooms. They should be aspiring to their highest potential,
thinking about what they want to be when they grow up.
{time} 1700
The payoff of a few years of quality education is huge. Every year of
primary school increases an individual's earning potential by 5 to 15
percent. It is not just those students who reap the benefits, it is
really all of us.
Consider public health and economics. More educated populations are
healthier and more productive. Consider threats to our security. In
places like Afghanistan and South Sudan, where roughly half of children
are not in school, we know that violent extremists and others are ready
to fill the vacuum, leading these vulnerable young people down a dark,
dark path. Research has also told us that in high-risk places like
Somalia, where young people can learn about certain issues like
nonviolent civic engagement, participation in violence drops by 14
percent and support for violence drops by 20 percent.
That is why education needs to be a foreign policy priority and why
we need to be very careful as a new administration urges to make major
changes in America's foreign assistance. This legislation calls for a
5-year strategy for expanding opportunities for kids to go to school
all over the world, especially where children are most vulnerable. It
would put a new point person in charge of making sure that our efforts
across government are coordinated and effective, and it would place a
special emphasis on monitoring and evaluation so that we know we are
getting the best bang for the buck when it comes to our investments in
basic education.
[[Page H665]]
This bill would help to put children in classrooms around the world.
It would give more young people a better shot at a full and successful
life. I am proud to support it. I commend Mrs. Lowey.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the
balance of my time.
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from New
York (Mrs. Lowey), the author of this bill.
Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in full support of bipartisan
legislation that would increase transparency and congressional
oversight of U.S. basic education programs around the world.
H.R. 601, the Reinforcing Education Accountability in Development--
READ--Act, which I introduced with my colleague, Representative David
Reichert, would elevate the importance of education while improving
USAID's efforts and ensuring that taxpayer dollars are well spent.
The challenge is clear. Nearly 60 million primary school-age children
and 65 million adolescents are out of school around the world. Millions
more are expected to never enroll. Women and girls are
disproportionately out of school. The United States has a clear moral,
economic, and security interest in promoting universal basic education
as a fundamental human right.
The bill before us today enhances Congress' oversight of USAID's work
with foreign governments, NGOs, and multilateral organizations to help
nations develop and implement quality programs, address key barriers to
school attendance, and increase completion rates for the poorest and
most vulnerable children worldwide. It calls on USAID to develop a
comprehensive strategy and appoint a senior coordinator tasked with
ensuring that our programs expand access to millions of children who
are not in school and improve the quality of education for millions who
are.
These efforts will not only help students read and write, they will
ultimately help protect vulnerable children from poverty, disease,
hunger, and even extremism.
There is no greater force multiplier than education. An education is
the fundamental tool with which girls and boys are empowered to
increase their economic potential, improve their health outcomes,
provide for their families, address cultural biases, participate in
their communities, and contribute to democratic societies.
First introduced in 2004 and passed by the House last year, the bill
before us today represents many years of hard work to elevate the
importance of global education, bipartisan compromise, and the support
of over 30 nonprofit and advocacy organizations, including RESULTS, the
ONE Campaign, the Basic Education Coalition, the Global Campaign for
Education, Global Citizen, the Malala Fund, and many other vital
partners.
In closing, I thank Chairman Royce, Ranking Member Engel, their
hardworking staff--Joan, Jessica, Janice, and Mark, and, of course,
Marin Stein, who has been working around the clock on this bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the
gentlewoman.
Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank them all. We have been working on
this bill a very long time. I, again, thank Chairman Royce for his
leadership and Ranking Member Engel. Their diligent efforts to bring
the READ Act before the House today is so vital, and I urge immediate
passage. In closing, thanks again to Marin Stein.
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
In closing, I read a few weeks ago that the new administration was
planning to retool the State Department to focus more on terrorism. The
article suggested that the State Department might do away with some of
our smart power efforts. That would be a mistake. I look at an effort
like this one, expanding access to education, and I know that it isn't
taking away from our ability to combat terrorism. In fact, it is
critical to that fight.
When we help more young people get access to a good education, we are
giving them the tools to think critically and resist those who mean us
harm. We are helping give people an alternative, a path forward for
their lives.
When kids don't have these skills, who do you think shows up? When
children are told from a young age, with no competing message, that
America is their enemy, how does that shape their lives?
So I hope that this bill gets to the new President's desk and that he
sees the value not just in expanding access to education, but in the
wide range of foreign policy priorities that help to project stability
and make communities stronger, that show the world that the United
States is a friend and a partner, and not an enemy.
Again, I thank Congresswoman Lowey for her hard work. I thank
Chairman Royce for his hard work and collegiality, as always. I support
this bill. I urge all Members to do the same.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
I concur with those arguments that Mr. Engel just made. Congresswoman
Nita Lowey and I have talked about this, and if my colleagues will
think on this for a minute, the reality today is that we face a
situation where there are 65 million men, women, and children around
the globe who have been displaced by conflict. I would just like the
Members to think about the fact that this is more people than were
displaced during World War II. This is the highest level, highest on
record of human beings who have been displaced by conflict. Think about
what that means to the children who are those most victimized.
The United States is doing important work around the world, trying to
help our allies, trying to help organizations--and there are many good
NGOs working on this--to address this massive education deficit that so
many of these children face. But Congress, I think, has to demand a
greater degree, yes, of transparency and accountability for these
activities to ensure our investments are as effective as possible in
line with our strategic interests.
There is one more thing that we have to ask of our partners in this,
and that is equal access to every young girl for education. That has
got to be up there at the top of that priority list.
This Reinforcing Education Accountability in Development Act outlines
clear priorities for this work with that emphasis that I talked about
and asking those partners to carry out their end of this bargain. This
bill also requires aggressive monitoring and evaluation and an annual
report that justifies the investment on a country-by-country basis, but
holds with it the accountability for the education of girls and for the
rest of this work.
I urge Members to support this measure. Again, I thank Representative
Lowey. I thank the rest of the Members who worked on this for working
on such a bipartisan basis on its provisions.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 601. As a
parent who was very involved in my children's education and served as
President of the Southfield Public Schools Board of Education, I firmly
believe the importance of promoting education to all regions of the
world. Education is a universal human right that should be obtained by
every young mind of the world.
Access to basic education is a human right that must be guaranteed to
all children. In my role as the Vice Chair of the Bipartisan
Congressional Women's Caucus during the 115th Congress, I will work
with my colleagues in a bipartisan manner to highlight barriers to
basic education, specifically focusing on girls' education in the
developing world. Providing girls with an education helps break the
cycle of poverty. Educated women are less likely to get married, more
likely to have healthy babies, and are more likely to understand the
value of education.
Mr. Speaker, this legislation would ensure that aid is prioritized
for the most vulnerable populations, particularly those living in
conflict zones. We must take the necessary steps to see that these
children are provided with the rights to develop their full potential
in order to be contributing members of their societies.
The enforcement of this bill will help bridge the gap with some
global issues that we still see today with marginalized groups seeking
education. Young children, regardless of gender have the right to gain
a quality education.
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Children with disabilities or illnesses should not be shunned away from
trying to learn because they are considered different.
I am grateful that our Chamber has taken this important step to
ensure that the United States dedicates our time and resources to
helping the future of the world gain an education. I want to thank my
colleagues on both sides of the aisle for their continued support of
universal education for all.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from California (Mr. Royce) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 601.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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