National Literacy Month

Floor Speech

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Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize September as National Literacy Month.

Reading is a fundamental part of learning and expanding our knowledge of the world around us. It is especially important to form strong reading habits in childhood that we can carry with us throughout our adult lives.

Parents, educators, and the local community can all play a role in encouraging young people to pick up a book and to exercise their imaginations.

A great resource that schools, museums, and public libraries can take advantage of is the Library of Congress' Surplus Book Program. This initiative offers surplus books of all kinds and for all ages to organizations and institutions nationwide to help build their book collections, and I encourage those interested to visit the library's website for more information.

Mr. Speaker, reading at a young age is important, but a passion for books can form at any stage of life.

During National Literacy Month, let's all pick up a new book and share the reading experience with the children in our lives.

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