Providing for Further Consideration of H.R. 5, Student Success Act, and Providing for Consideration of H.R. 2647, Resilient Federal Forests Act of 2015

Floor Speech

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Mr. POCAN. Mr. Speaker, on the 50th anniversary of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, now more than ever we must ensure that every kid has access to a great school. It shouldn't matter who your parents are, what ZIP code you live in, or how many zeros are at the end of your bank account.

H.R. 5 breaks the promise made 50 years ago to help all kids get a good public education and to recognize the challenges faced by kids living in poverty.

Republicans will have the opportunity to make their bad bill even worse by allowing an amendment to come to the floor today which essentially turns all of ESEA into a block grant, allowing States to use Federal resources for any educational purpose, meaning States can redirect Federal funds towards taxpayer-funded vouchers for private and religious schools.

That has been a failed experiment in Wisconsin, and that strips money away from public schools and hurts kids everywhere. I urge a ``no'' vote on H.R. 5, a bad bill that could likely get even worse today.

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