I

107TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 966

To prohibit the Federal Government from planning, developing, implementing,

or administering any national teacher test or method of certification

and from withholding funds from States or local educational agencies

that fail to adopt a specific method of teacher certification.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MARCH 8, 2001

Mr. PAUL (for himself, Mr. GRAHAM, Mr. HILLEARY, Mr. TANCREDO, Mr.

SHADEGG, Mr. DOOLITTLE, Mr. BURTON of Indiana, Mr. DEMINT, and

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce

A BILL

To prohibit the Federal Government from planning, developing, implementing, or administering any national

teacher test or method of certification and from withholding funds from States or local educational agencies

that fail to adopt a specific method of teacher certification.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

4 Congress finds the following:
2

•HR 966 IH

1 (1) State and local governments have the re2 sponsibility for the training and certification of

3 teachers not the Federal Government.

4 (2) The Coalition of Independent Education As5 sociations (CIEA), which represents the majority of

6 the over 300,000 teachers who belong to inde7 pendent educators associations, has passed a resolu8 tion opposing the monopolization of teacher edu9 cation and certification by the National Council on

10 Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) or

11 any other federally supported organization.

12 (3) Many States are implementing a rigorous

13 framework for preparing, certifying, and recognizing

14 the professional growth of educators.

15 (4) Having the Federal Government require

16 States, local governments, or local educational agen17 cies to engage in any type of teacher testing or cer18 tification requires Federal oversight of what knowl19 edge is necessary to be a teacher.

20 (5) Giving the Federal Government power to

21 determine what knowledge is necessary to be a

22 teacher will lead to a national curriculum.

23 (6) National teacher testing or certification will

24 make teachers de facto employees of the Federal

25 Government.
3

•HR 966 IH

1 (7) Establishment of a national curriculum will

2 destroy any control remaining in the American edu3 cation system and is not in the interest of either

4 teachers or students.

5 SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON TESTING OR CERTIFICATION.

6 Notwithstanding any other provision of Federal law,

7 the Department of Education is prohibited from using

8 Federal funds to plan, develop, implement, or administer

9 any national teacher test or certification.

10 SEC. 3. PROHIBITION ON WITHHOLDING FUNDS.

11 The Department is prohibited from withholding funds

12 from any State or local educational agency if such State

13 or local educational agency fails to adopt a specific method

14 of teacher certification.

15 SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.

16 For purposes of this Act:

17 (1) The terms ‘‘teacher testing’’ and ‘‘teacher

18 test’’ mean any test or examination required by any

19 unit of government that requires passage of such

20 test or examination as a condition of obtaining a li21 cense to teach.

22 (2) The term ‘‘teacher certification’’ means any

23 process of education or training required by any unit
4

•HR 966 IH

1 of government as a condition of obtaining a license

2 to teach.

Æ