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[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 94 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 94

   Expressing support for the Nation's local public K-12 schools and 
condemning any actions that would defund public education or weaken or 
                 dismantle the Department of Education.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            February 4, 2025

     Ms. Bonamici (for herself, Mrs. McIver, Ms. Tlaib, Ms. Lee of 
Pennsylvania, Ms. Schakowsky, Mr. Grijalva, Mrs. Dingell, Ms. Barragan, 
   Ms. Simon, Mr. Doggett, Mrs. Cherfilus-McCormick, Mr. Johnson of 
   Georgia, Mr. Boyle of Pennsylvania, Mrs. Ramirez, Ms. Sewell, Mr. 
  Thompson of Mississippi, Mrs. Trahan, Mr. Goldman of New York, Ms. 
 Scanlon, Ms. Titus, Ms. Dean of Pennsylvania, Mr. Fields, Mr. Pocan, 
   Mr. Peters, Mr. Kennedy of New York, Mr. Vargas, Ms. Williams of 
 Georgia, Ms. Johnson of Texas, Mr. Takano, Ms. Wilson of Florida, Ms. 
     Castor of Florida, Ms. Ansari, Mr. Courtney, Ms. Sanchez, Ms. 
   Budzinski, Mr. Mullin, Ms. Escobar, Mr. Thanedar, Mr. Raskin, Ms. 
    Pingree, Mr. Moulton, Mrs. McBath, Mr. Deluzio, Mr. Nadler, Mr. 
   Olszewski, Mr. Soto, Mr. Connolly, Ms. Stansbury, Mr. Casar, Mr. 
McGovern, Ms. Velazquez, Ms. Ross, Ms. Kaptur, Mr. Green of Texas, Mrs. 
Fletcher, Ms. Dexter, Ms. Bynum, Mr. Stanton, Ms. Salinas, Ms. Hoyle of 
 Oregon, Ms. Craig, Mr. Mannion, Ms. Stevens, Ms. McDonald Rivet, Mrs. 
Hayes, and Ms. McCollum) submitted the following resolution; which was 
          referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
   Expressing support for the Nation's local public K-12 schools and 
condemning any actions that would defund public education or weaken or 
                 dismantle the Department of Education.

Whereas the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et 
        seq.) defines free public education as education that is ``provided at 
        public expense, under public supervision and direction, and without 
        tuition charge'' and ``provided as elementary or secondary education in 
        the applicable State or to preschool children'';
Whereas publicly funded local K-12 schools serve millions of students and 
        families and provide economic opportunity for all, including in rural 
        and geographically isolated areas;
Whereas, approximately 90 percent of students in the United States in 
        prekindergarten through 12th grade and about 95 percent of students with 
        disabilities attend a public school;
Whereas State and local funding for public K-12 schools varies significantly 
        within States and across the United States, creating additional need 
        among schools in under-resourced communities;
Whereas the role of the Federal Government in public education has historically 
        been to level the playing field by creating equity of opportunity for 
        all students, regardless of their background, ability, or ZIP Code in 
        which they are educated;
Whereas Federal funding plays a critical role in narrowing funding gaps for 
        disadvantaged students, providing integrated and wraparound supports for 
        students and families, helping students meet challenging State academic 
        standards, and increasing the chances of success in education and the 
        workforce;
Whereas 2025 marks the 60th anniversary of the Elementary and Secondary 
        Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) and the 50th anniversary of the Education 
        for All Handicapped Children Act, now known as the Individuals with 
        Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) (20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.);
Whereas the Department of Education Organization Act (20 U.S.C. 3401 et seq.), 
        enacted in 1979, declares ``that the establishment of a Department of 
        Education is in the public interest, will promote the general welfare of 
        the United States, will help ensure that education issues receive proper 
        treatment at the Federal level, and will enable the Federal Government 
        to coordinate its education activities more effectively'';
Whereas the Department of Education serves approximately 100,000 public K-12 
        schools across the country, which collectively educate more than 
        49,000,000 students;
Whereas reading and mathematics scores and college degree attainment have 
        substantially increased since the Department of Education was 
        established;
Whereas the Department of Education is also a civil rights agency responsible 
        for protecting students from discrimination and advancing educational 
        equity and its Office for Civil Rights enforces Federal laws prohibiting 
        discrimination and harassment, including investigating record numbers of 
        incidents of discrimination and hate in recent years despite employing 
        only about half of the staff the Office had when it was originally 
        established;
Whereas the Department of Education administers IDEA grants to help public 
        schools serve more than 7,500,000 students with disabilities, a 
        substantial financial commitment that cannot reasonably be assumed by 
        State or local governments, and provides monitoring and oversight to 
        hold States accountable for providing a free appropriate public 
        education for students with disabilities;
Whereas the Department of Education provides supplementary funding through ESEA 
        title I-A grants to more than 51,000 public schools serving concentrated 
        populations of students from low-income families in rural, suburban, and 
        urban communities;
Whereas the Department of Education provides funding through ESEA title IV-F to 
        support full-service community schools, which partner with local 
        stakeholders, parents, and families to provide common sense, locally 
        driven solutions to the challenges students and families face;
Whereas the Department of Education provides vital support to thousands of rural 
        school districts through the Rural Education Achievement program under 
        ESEA title V-B, which funds both the Small, Rural School Achievement 
        grant program and the Rural and Low-Income School grant program;
Whereas the Department of Education directly invests in the quality and 
        effectiveness of nearly 90 percent of teachers and approximately 20 
        percent of school leaders nationwide through ESEA title II-A 
        professional development grants, ultimately improving retention rates, 
        addressing the nationwide educator shortage, and improving student 
        achievement;
Whereas the Department of Education provides supplementary funding to help more 
        than 5,000,000 English-language learners achieve language proficiency 
        and meet State academic standards through ESEA title III-A grants;
Whereas the Department of Education provides supplementary funding to help tens 
        of thousands of public schools provide well-rounded education, 
        technology support, and school safety measures through ESEA title IV-A, 
        IV-B, and IV-F grants;
Whereas the Department of Education provides grants under ESEA title IV-E to 
        support the work of Statewide Family Engagement Centers, which provide 
        parent education initiatives, family engagement programs, and family-
        school partnerships;
Whereas the Department of Education supports the education of Indian, Native 
        Hawaiian, and Alaska Native children, consistent with the historic trust 
        responsibility, through ESEA title VI grants;
Whereas the Department of Education provides funds to strengthen and support 
        career and technical education programs for more than 8,200,000 
        secondary students across the country through title I of the Carl D. 
        Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (20 U.S.C. 2321 et seq.);
Whereas the Department of Education provides necessary oversight so students 
        have access to targeted interventions and services;
Whereas the Department of Education protects students, families, and staff from 
        discrimination based on race, color, or national origin under title VI 
        of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000d et seq.), based on sex 
        under title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (20 U.S.C. 1681 et 
        seq.), and based on disability under section 504 of the Rehabilitation 
        Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794) and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 
        1990 (42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.) so all individuals can access equal 
        educational and employment opportunities;
Whereas the Department of Education invests in research to understand and 
        disseminate information about the interventions and practices that are 
        most effective at providing excellent educational opportunities for all 
        students;
Whereas the Department of Education employs the smallest staff of any 
        Department, with the lowest overall staff-to-budget ratio of all 15 
        Departments;
Whereas dismantling or relocating any major offices within the Department of 
        Education may substantially disrupt program administration and create a 
        delay or loss of vitally important supports for students and funding for 
        public schools across the Nation; and
Whereas, without Federal investment, State and local educational agencies would 
        be forced to enact drastic funding cuts that would disproportionately 
        affect students from rural areas, low-income families, students of 
        color, and students with disabilities, as well as harm American 
        competition in the global economy: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) strongly supports Federal investment in public K-12 
        schools and the students and families served by these schools;
            (2) affirms that the Department of Education plays a vital 
        role in the Nation's system of public education;
            (3) affirms that the Federal Government's investment is 
        important to the success of students in public schools, and 
        investment in public education should not be diverted, 
        including through the use of vouchers, to privately run K-12 
        schools; and
            (4) rejects any claim that the executive branch has the 
        legal authority to, or would serve the Nation by--
                    (A) dismantling or relocating major offices within 
                the Department of Education;
                    (B) dismantling or relocating the Department of 
                Education; or
                    (C) reducing Federal funding for public education, 
                blocking the granting of major Federal grant programs 
                for education, or transferring funding burdens for 
                education to State and local governments.
                                 <all>
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