[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 185 (Monday, November 13, 2017)]
[House]
[Page H9159]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     STUDENTS GAIN ESSENTIAL SKILLS IN A GLOBAL AND INTERCONNECTED 
                              MARKETPLACE

  (Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to ask for my colleagues' 
support for the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Program Act, which I 
introduced along with my good friend, Congresswoman Cheri Bustos.
  As a former Florida certified teacher, I know that education is the 
key to unlocking long-lasting and positive change in all of our 
communities. But in today's interconnected world, students must gain 
foreign language skills and the ability to learn from other cultures.
  Study abroad programs are an excellent way to learn these essential 
skills. However, Mr. Speaker, the ability to study abroad remains just 
a dream for rural, minority, and first-generation college students.
  Cheri Bustos and I filed this bill to address this problem by 
establishing a competitive grant program that will allow universities 
to provide low-income and other underrepresented undergraduates with 
the means to be able to study abroad.
  Mr. Speaker, the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Program Act is a 
commonsense bill that will help our students gain essential skills and 
empower them to thrive in a global and interconnected marketplace, and 
I thank my friend, Congresswoman Bustos, for allowing me to enter this 
bill with her.

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