IV 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 738 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the goal of the 

education system shall be that virtually every American student be able 

to read at grade level or better. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 28, 2023 

Mr. HUIZENGA submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Education and the Workforce 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that 

the goal of the education system shall be that virtually 

every American student be able to read at grade level 

or better. 

Whereas literacy is an essential skill for success in America; 

Whereas illiteracy continues to challenge thousands of students annually, across many grade levels; 

Whereas illiteracy has been a silent epidemic which has not 

been addressed in America for decades and now finds us 

at a crisis level; 

Whereas a literacy gap nationwide—measuring 8th grade 

students who are reading below proficiency—exists at 

well over 50 percent; 


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•HRES 738 IH 

Whereas children who struggle to read, become adults who 

struggle in society; leading to a cycle of poverty; 

Whereas literacy transforms the lives of students and creates 

strong communities; 

Whereas a literacy curriculum with a structured literacy approach that includes multisensory, phonics, and decoding 

components are foundational reading skills; 

Whereas literacy programs that include an individual diagnostic assessment by a certified teacher are best set to 

improve outcomes; 

Whereas research shows students who are tutored one-on-one, 

five days a week achieve grade-level movement in reading; 

Whereas research shows individuals who can read at least at 

a high school level are more likely to be hired in the job 

force; 

Whereas research shows individuals who can read at least at 

a high school level are less likely to be incarcerated in 

prison; 

Whereas research shows Junior ROTC students who are 

reading at grade level or better are more likely to be accepted into the military; and 

Whereas the COVID–19 Pandemic exacerbated learning loss 

among K–12 students. 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) recognizes the goal of the education system 

3 shall be that virtually every American student be 

4 able to read at grade level or better; 

5 (2) encourages that literacy programs should be 

6 set up to include one-on-one tutoring for each stuVerDate Sep 11 2014 06:20 Sep 29, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR738.IH HR738

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•HRES 738 IH 

1 dent diagnosed with a literacy gap of one year or 

2 more, five days per week until the student is reading 

3 at grade level; 

4 (3) encourages State and local government 

5 agencies working with private organizations with 

6 proven literacy programs to work together to iden7 tify and establish solutions to illiteracy; and 

8 (4) encourages these same State and local gov9 ernment agencies and private organizations to estab10 lish adult literacy programs to help adults who have 

11 reading gaps below eighth grade. 

Æ 


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