Rep. Bonamici Criticizes Expedited Process in House's No Child Left Behind Reauthorization, Calls for Bipartisanship

Statement

Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01) criticized the House Education and the Workforce Committee's markup of H.R. 5, the Student Success Act, emphasizing the lack of opportunity to hear from stakeholders in hearings and receive input from experts.

"As we work to rewrite this critical education bill, it is unacceptable that we did not have a single hearing," Congresswoman Bonamici said. "Now is our opportunity to fix some of the flaws in No Child Left Behind, but instead of working together to find common ground, the majority passed this 616-page bill today on a party-line vote."

A similar bill passed the House last Congress, but the long list of opposition kept it from moving to the Senate for vote.

"We all agree that No Child Left Behind is not working," Congresswoman Bonamici said. "We should be able to work together to craft solutions to fix the law, but instead this proposal was rushed through the committee. In contrast, our counterparts in the Senate are working in a bipartisan manner to develop substantive legislation."

This version of the Student Success Act passed out of committee today includes several provisions that would underfund Title I schools, which serve low-income students. It also fails to outline workable accountability standards, which are effective only if they have support and buy-in from stakeholders.

"It's not too late for us to take on the difficult task of crafting a bipartisan ESEA reauthorization that embodies our constituents' priorities," Congresswoman Bonamici said. "This law is too important to be pushed through without a full, transparent process, and I hope my colleagues will work together as this bill moves to the floor."

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