[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 14]
[Senate]
[Page 19739]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      EVERY STUDENT SUCCEEDS BILL

  Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, today the U.S. Senate, by a vote of 85 
to 12, has sent a Christmas present to 50 million children across this 
country. First, it has to go down Pennsylvania Avenue to the White 
House, where we hope President Obama will wrap a big red bow around it, 
sign it, and send it to the children and the 3.4 million teachers who 
are looking forward to it.
  This is a bill that is so important that the Nation's Governors gave 
it their first full endorsement of any piece of legislation in 20 
years. It has the full support of the Chief State School Officers, it 
has the full support of the school administrators, and it has the 
support of the American Federation of Teachers and the National 
Education Association.
  This is very good policy, and the reason it is, is it is bipartisan, 
it is a consensus, and instead of arguing about it after the President 
signs it--which I hope he will--classroom teachers, school board 
members, Governors, community by community, State by State can go to 
work implementing it, and making their plans to make their own 
decisions about what kind of tests to give, how many to give, what the 
standards should be, how to fix failing schools, how to reward 
outstanding teachers. We have created an environment that I believe 
will unleash a flood of excellence in student achievement, State by 
State and community by community.
  I thank the Members of the Senate. I especially thank the members of 
the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee who have worked so 
well together--all 22 of them. I especially thank Senator Patty Murray 
of Washington for her leadership and her effectiveness in helping to 
get such a remarkable event.
  To take an issue this complex and difficult and have a vote of 85 to 
12 proves that when the Senate puts its mind to it, it can do some very 
good work. We have done that today.

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