House Passes My Education Bill

House Passes My Education Bill

Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed another bill which I sponsored, H.R. 1156, to increase funding for gifted and talented education programs across America. My legislation was included in the College Access and Opportunity Act also known as the Higher Education Act which passed the House by a vote of 221 to 199.

My bill, which was included in the Higher Education Act, makes existing grant monies available to improve education for gifted and talented students. While continuing to improve our education system, it is important to provide the funding necessary to properly train teachers of gifted students and empower their scholastic excellence.

My bill, the Gifted and Talented Education Enhancement Act, opens a section of Title II of the Higher Education Act to provide grant monies for teacher education to increase the awareness of the special needs of gifted and talented students. The bill does not require any additional federal funding instead allowing current funds to be used for gifted and talented teacher education programs.

I felt it was important not to create another federal handout, but rather to open an existing pool of money for gifted and talented education. By providing access to these additional resources, I hope that teachers will be properly equipped with the expertise and tools required to educate these students.

The Higher Education Act now awaits debate and passage in the U.S. Senate before it can be forwarded to the President for his signature.

http://www.house.gov/gillmor/update/april06/april06web.htm