[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 1]
[House]
[Pages 1216-1220]
[From the U.S. 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

[[Page 1217]]

     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 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

[[Page 1218]]

     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 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),

[[Page 1219]]

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.
  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

[[Page 1220]]

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. 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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