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 stu-
dents 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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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 ap-
proach that includes multisensory, phonics, and decoding 
components are foundational reading skills; 
Whereas literacy programs that include an individual diag-
nostic 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 ac-
cepted into the military; and 
Whereas the COVID–19 Pandemic exacerbated learning loss 
among K–12 students. 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) recognizes the goal of the education system 
shall be that virtually every American student be 
able to read at grade level or better; 
(2) encourages that literacy programs should be 
set up to include one-on-one tutoring for each stu-
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dent diagnosed with a literacy gap of one year or 
more, five days per week until the student is reading 
at grade level; 
(3) encourages State and local government 
agencies working with private organizations with 
proven literacy programs to work together to iden-
tify and establish solutions to illiteracy; and 
(4) encourages these same State and local gov-
ernment agencies and private organizations to estab-
lish adult literacy programs to help adults who have 
reading gaps below eighth grade. 
Æ 
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