Edited sentence: At the local level, Rep.He has also been a key leader in highlighting the gap between rhetoric and reality when it comes to funding for No Child Left Behind, IDEA (special education), and Head Start.He has also been recognized nationally for being a key leader in the effort to close a loophole that has allowed lenders to pocket billions of taxpayer dollars at the expense of college students.In the fight for fair treatment of federal employees, Rep.Roll Call newspaper named him one of the “rising stars” in Congress and the Washington Post noted that Van Hollen “has distinguished himself as a shrewd legislative player.Van Hollen achieved major victories on the floor of the House when – despite veto threats from the Bush Administration – his amendments to roll back President Bush’s privatization rules passed with bipartisan support.Van Hollen has been recognized for his efforts and leadership in a range of areas of including education, foreign policy, environmental protection, protecting the rights of federal employees and civil rights.Van Hollen has been successful in securing federal support for critical transportation initiatives, community policing, regional homeland security efforts, education programs and community development projects.Van Hollen has demonstrated his legislative expertise by offering numerous successful amendments on the House floor and in committee.Van Hollen has had extensive legislative success in getting amendments attached to bills in committee (including the 9/11 Commission bill, Head Start and Department of Defense Reorganization).” In his first term, he was singled out as the “Outstanding New Member of the Year” by the Committee for Education Funding, which is the nation’s largest and oldest non-partisan education coalition, and he has already received numerous other awards for legislative leadership