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[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 80 (Monday, May 15, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H4930-H4931]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

 ELIMINATING NATIONAL EDUCATION STANDARDS AND IMPROVEMENT COUNCIL FROM 
                  THE GOALS 2000: EDUCATE AMERICA ACT

  Mr. GOODLING. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 1045) to amend the Goals 2000: Educate America Act to 
eliminate the National Education Standards and Improvement Council, and 
for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 1045

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

     SECTION 1. ELIMINATION OF THE NATIONAL EDUCATION STANDARDS 
                   AND IMPROVEMENT COUNCIL.

       (a) Repeals.--Subsection (b) of section 241, sections 211 
     through 218 of Part B of title II, and section 316 of the 
     Goals 2000: Educate America Act (20 U.S.C. 5841 et seq.) are 
     repealed.
       (b) Amendments to Goals 2000: Educate America Act.--
       (1) Section 201(3) of the Goals 2000: Educate America Act 
     (20 U.S.C. 5812(3)) is amended by striking all that follows 
     after ``opportunity-to-learn standards'' and inserting a 
     period.
       (2) Section 203(a) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 5823(a)) is 
     amended by striking paragraphs (3) and (4) and by 
     redesignating paragraphs (5) and (6) as paragraphs (3) and 
     (4), respectively.
       (3) Section 204(a)(2) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 5824) is 
     amended by striking ``described in section 213(f)''.
       (4) Section 219 of such Act (20 U.S.C. 5849) is amended--
       (A) in subsection (a)(1) by striking ``consistent with the 
     provisions of section 213(c),''; and
       (B) by striking subsection (b) and inserting the following:
       ``(b) Applications.--Each consortium that desires to 
     receive a grant under this subsection shall submit an 
     application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, 
     and containing such information and assurances as the 
     Secretary may require.''.
       (5) Section 220(a) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 5850(a)) is 
     amended by striking ``to be used'' and all that follows 
     through ``by the Council''.
       (6) Section 221(a) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 5851(a)) is 
     amended--
       (A) in paragraph (1)--
       (i) subparagraph (A), by striking ``and the Council''; and
       (ii) by striking subparagraphs (B) and (C) and 
     redesignating subparagraph (D) as subparagraph (B); and
       (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ``and the Council, as 
     appropriate,''.
       (7) Section 308(b)(2)(A) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 
     5888(b)(2)(A)) is amended by striking ``including--'' and all 
     that follows through the end of clause (ii) and inserting 
     ``including through consortia of States''.
       (8) Section 314(a)(6) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 5894(a)(6)) is 
     amended by striking ``, if--'' and all that follows through 
     ``(B)'' and inserting ``if''.
       (9) Section 315 of such Act (20 U.S.C. 5895) is amended in 
     subsection (b)--
       (A) paragraph (1)(A), by striking ``paragraph (4) of this 
     subsection'' and inserting ``paragraph (3)''; [[Page H4931]] 
       (B) by striking paragraph (2);
       (C) by redesignating paragraphs (3) through (5) as 
     paragraphs (2) through (4), respectively;
       (D) in subparagraph (B) of paragraph (3) (as redesignated), 
     by striking ``paragraph (5),'' and inserting ``paragraph 
     (4),''; and
       (E) in paragraph (4) (as redesignated), by striking 
     ``paragraph (4)'' each place it appears and inserting 
     ``paragraph (3)''.
       (c) National Skill Standards Act of 1994.--
       (1) Section 503 of the National Skill Standards Act of 1994 
     (20 U.S.C. 5933) is amended--
       (A) in subsection (b)--
       (i) in paragraph (1)--
       (I) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking 
     ``28'' and inserting ``(27)'';
       (II) by striking subparagraph (D); and
       (III) by redesignating subparagraphs (E) through (G) as 
     subparagraphs (D) through (F), respectively;
       (ii) in paragraphs (2), (3), and (5), by striking 
     ``subparagraphs (E), (F), and (G)'' each place it appears and 
     inserting ``subparagraphs (D), (E), and (F)'';
       (iii) in paragraph (2), by striking ``subparagraph (G)'' 
     and inserting ``subparagraph (F)'';
       (iv) in paragraph (4), by striking ``(C), and (D)'' and 
     inserting ``and (C)''; and
       (v) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A) of paragraph 
     (5), by striking ``subparagraph (E), (F), or (G)'' and 
     inserting ``subparagraphs (D), (E), or (F)''; and
       (B) in subsection (c)--
       (i) in paragraph (1)(B), by striking ``subparagraph (E)'' 
     and inserting ``subparagraph (D)''; and
       (ii) in paragraph (2), by striking ``subparagraphs (E), 
     (F), and (G)'' and inserting ``subparagraphs (D), (E), and 
     (F)''.
       (2) Section 504 of such Act (20 U.S.C. 5934) is amended--
       (A) by striking subsection (f); and
       (B) by redesignating subsection (g) as subsection (f).
       (d) Amendment to Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
     1965.--Section 14701(b)(1)(B)(v) of the Elementary and 
     Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 8941(b)(1)(B)(v)) 
     is amended--
       (1) by inserting ``and'' before ``the National Education 
     Goals Panel''; and
       (2) by striking ``, and the National Education Statistics 
     and Improvement Council''.
       (d) Amendment to General Education Provisions Act.--Section 
     428 of the General Education Provisions Act (20 U.S.C. 
     1228b), as amended by section 237 of the Improving America's 
     Schools Act of 1994 (Public Law 103-382), is amended by 
     striking ``the National Education Standards and Improvement 
     Council,''.

     SEC. 2. TECHNICAL AND COINFORMING AMENDMENTS.

       The table of contents for the Goals 2000: Educate America 
     Act is amended, in the items relating to title II, by 
     striking the items relating to sections 211 through 218 of 
     part B of such title and the item relating to section 316.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania [Mr. Goodling] will be recognized for 20 minutes, and the 
gentleman from Michigan [Mr. Kildee] will be recognized for 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Goodling].
  Mr. GOODLING. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I would announce in advance that the floor prep 
statement put out by my side of the aisle is incorrect on this 
particular issue.
  Mr. Speaker, today we are considering H.R. 1045, a bill to repeal the 
National Education Standards and Improvement Council [NESIC]. This 
legislation has bipartisan support and I hope that when we pass this 
legislation today, the other body will take it up immediately and send 
it to the President for his signature.
  The National Education Standards and Improvement Council [NESIC] 
created by Goals 2000 is a Presidentially appointed council that has 
the mission of reviewing and certifying national education standards 
and State education standards that are voluntarily submitted. Because 
decisions about educating our children are primarily decided at the 
local level by parents, teachers and students, NESIC, commonly referred 
to as a ``national school board,'' has generated great controversy 
about continued local control of education.
  The distance between standards and curriculum is not very great. 
Currently, there is a prohibition on the Federal Government dictating 
curriculum to States and school districts and there is good reason to 
be wary of Federal involvement in certifying education standards. The 
seriously flawed and justifiably controversial history standards 
illustrate how the standards-setting process can go awry and point out 
the dangers of having a Presidentially appointed unaccountable body 
certifying education standards.
  However, I want to make it very clear, academic standards based 
reform remains one of the most promising strategies for improving 
education for all children in our Nation. Academic standards are a 
statement of learning outcomes. What children need to know and be able 
to do. I think parents want to know what their children actually 
learned rather than that they spent 180 days in school and earned a 
carnegie unit. There must be rigorous academic standards and not vague 
and fuzzy attempts to shape students' attitudes and values, matters 
that should be left to parents. The most important standards 
development must take place in our local communities and school 
districts. However, Federal certification of these standards is not 
necessary for this process to be effective or constructive.
  While I recognize that many of my colleagues would like to go much 
further in limiting Federal involvement in education, I want to assure 
them that they will have the opportunity as our committee considers 
broader education reform legislation. By enacting this legislation 
today, it is my hope that this will put a stop to an unwarranted 
Federal intrusion into education while preserving education standards 
development by States and local school districts. To do less will 
certainly hamper any hope of the United States doing well in a very 
competitive world.
  We must develop voluntary national and international standards in the 
academic subject areas and develop voluntary assessment tools to 
determine whether the standards are met. Teachers must then be prepared 
to teach to these higher standards.
  I, therefore, urge my colleagues to support this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. KILDEE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this compromise.
  I also want to thank my committee chairman and friend, Bill Goodling, 
for his efforts. We have a long history of bipartisan cooperation in 
our committee and that, in large measure, is due to the influence of 
our committee chairman.
  As someone who has served on this committee for 18 years, I want to 
underscore my own belief that education is a State responsibility, a 
local function, and an important Federal concern.
  That is an appropriate balance which has deep roots in our Nation's 
history.
  Our Nation is in the midst of a period of profound change. We are 
facing economic challenges from our global competitors that make it 
absolutely imperative that our children achieve to the highest possible 
academic standards. We are now a highly mobile society. People do not 
always live and work in the communities in which they were born. And, 
rarely does the employment base stay the same. Business and industry 
respond to the demands of the marketplace and so must our schools. We 
owe that to the children.
  Mr. Speaker, reform of our system of public education is one of the 
most critical tasks we face. We made a good deal of progress in the 
last Congress. I believe the bill we have before us today will preserve 
that progress while it meets the consideration of those who felt some 
concern.
  Again, my thanks to my committee chairman Goodling and I would also 
like to acknowledge the hard work of your staff, particularly John 
Barth, Sally Lovejoy, Vic Klatt, and Jomarie St. Martin. And our staff 
Sara Davis, Broderick Johnson, and Dr. June Harris.
  Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. GOODLING. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Goodling] that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1045, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
  

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