IV 
108TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. RES. 600 
Congratulating charter schools and their students, parents, teachers, and 
administrators across the United States for their ongoing contributions 
to education, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 21, 2004 
Mr. PORTER (for himself, Mr. BOEHNER, Mr. MCKEON, Mr. NORWOOD, Mr. 
EHLERS, Mr. DEMINT, Mrs. MUSGRAVE, Mrs. BLACKBURN, Mr. KIND, 
Ms. MCCOLLUM, and Mr. CASE) submitted the following resolution; which 
was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce 
RESOLUTION 
Congratulating charter schools and their students, parents, 
teachers, and administrators across the United States 
for their ongoing contributions to education, and for 
other purposes. 
Whereas charter schools deliver high-quality education and 
challenge our students to reach their potential; 
Whereas charter schools provide thousands of our families 
with diverse and innovative educational options for their 
children; 
Whereas charter schools are public schools authorized by a 
designated public entity and are responding to the needs 
of our communities, families, and students and promote 
the principles of quality, choice, and innovation;
•HRES 600 IH 
Whereas in exchange for the flexibility and autonomy given 
to charter schools, they are held accountable by their 
sponsors for improving student achievement and for their 
financial and other operations; 
Whereas 40 States, the District of Columbia, and the Com-
monwealth of Puerto Rico have passed laws authorizing 
charter schools; 
Whereas nearly 3,000 charter schools are now operating in 
37 States, the District of Columbia, and the Common-
wealth of Puerto Rico and serving 750,000 students; 
Whereas over the last 10 years, Congress has provided more 
than $1,000,000,000 in support to the charter school 
movement through facilities financing assistance and 
grants for planning, startup, implementation, and dis-
semination; 
Whereas charter schools improve their students’ achievement 
and stimulate improvement in traditional public schools; 
Whereas charter schools must meet the student achievement 
accountability requirements included by the No Child 
Left Behind Act of 2001, and contained in the Elemen-
tary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, in the same 
manner as traditional public schools, and often set higher 
and additional individual goals, to ensure that they are 
of high quality and truly accountable to the public; 
Whereas charter schools give parents new freedom to choose 
their public school, charter schools routinely measure pa-
rental satisfaction levels, and charter schools must prove 
their ongoing success to parents, policymakers, and their 
communities; 
Whereas nearly 40 percent of charter schools report having 
a waiting list, and the total number of students on all
•HRES 600 IH 
such waiting lists is enough to fill over 1,000 average- 
sized charter schools; 
Whereas charter schools nationwide serve a higher percentage 
of low-income and minority students than the traditional 
public system; 
Whereas charter schools have enjoyed broad bipartisan sup-
port from the Administration, the Congress, State Gov-
ernors and legislatures, educators, and parents across the 
United States; and 
Whereas the fifth annual National Charter Schools Week, to 
be held May 3 to 7, 2004, is an event sponsored by char-
ter schools and grassroots charter school organizations 
across the United States to recognize the significant im-
pacts, achievements, and innovations of charter schools: 
Now, therefore, be it— 
Resolved, That— 
(1) the House of Representatives acknowledges 
and commends charter schools and their students, 
parents, teachers, and administrators across the 
United States for their ongoing contributions to edu-
cation and improving and strengthening our public 
school system; 
(2) the House of Representatives supports the 
fifth annual National Charter Schools Week; and 
(3) it is the sense of the House of Representa-
tives that the President should issue a proclamation 
calling on the people of the United States to conduct 
appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities to