Sherwood Gazette - Bonamici Extols Virtues of New Education Act, Beefing Up Tsunami Warning Power

News Article

By Ray Pitz

U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici told Sherwood residents Saturday she was pleased with the recently implemented new federal education act, which she said is better for students and places less emphasis on how they take tests. At the same time, Bonamici, who hosted a town hall meeting in the Sherwood Center for the Arts, said the federal government should do more to help Oregonians prepare for "The Big One."

Bonamici, the Oregon Democrat who was elected in 2012 and represents the state's sprawling First Congressional District, touched on a variety of issues, including education. She praised the passage of Every Student Succeeds Act, which was signed into law in December 2015, saying it was an improvement over its predecessor, No Child Left Behind.

While the intention of No Child Left Behind was to recognize the importance of doing well in public schools, it never quite hit its mark, she pointed out, in part because it placed too much emphasis on high test scores.

"And that takes away the joy of learning," she told those gathered, which included many area legislators, city managers and mayors.

Bonamici said she's always been a strong advocate of education. She sits on both the Committee on Education and the Workforce as well as the Committee on Science, Space and Technology.

In addition, she is co-founder of the STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Caucus and on the Congressional Arts Caucus.

When Sherwood Mayor Krisanna Clark introduced Bonamici, she praised the representative's advocacy for the arts.

Later in the meeting, during questions from the audience, Bonamici said elements of the Every Student Succeeds Act create a more well-rounded education for students. She noted while U.S. students may not have the top test scores compared to students from other countries, there is a huge amount of creative and innovative talent in this country.

Regarding other education focuses, Bonamici said she wants to have Congress take a closer look at student loan programs to make sure college is affordable. She also would like to see nutritional programs in schools expanded to serving three meals per day for students who need such programs.

Addressing work place issues, Bonamici said it's time for the United States to join the rest of developed countries throughout the world in providing adequate paid leave after a newborn baby arrives. She noted that 25 percent of woman return only two weeks after their child is born, a short amount of time she believes needs to be extended.

Meanwhile, the U.S. representative said she's very supportive of disaster relief in anticipation of "The Big One," the huge earthquake predicted to hit the Pacific Northwest at some point. She referenced the 2015 article in the "New Yorker" magazine, which vividly pointed out that such an inevitable earthquake would destroy a large chunk of the Pacific Northwest Coast.

"This area needs to be very concerned about an earthquake," she said. Bonamici and Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) introduced the Tsunami Warning, Education, and Research Act, which helps out coastal states and prepares at-risk communities for such a disaster. The legislation is still working its way through Congress.

An audience member later asked Bonamici just what the federal government is doing to prepare for "The Big One."

"Not enough. We haven't done enough," she said. "There's very little FEMA money available before a disaster occurs."

However, she did say many of the coastal communities are working hard to prepare, noting that Cannon Beach has emergency containers set aside outside the city's tsunami zone where residents can store emergency provisions to pick up later.

During her town hall, Bonamici fielded questions including:

Addressing a concern that Congressional members spend too much time seeking reelection, saying the fact the U.S. Supreme Court sided with Citizens United in a case involving regulation of campaign spending is a large problem, something she would like to see fixed. The court held that the government should be prohibited from restricting independent political spending when it involves a nonprofit corporation.

"A lot of the problem is with Super PACS," she pointed out, referring to political action committees that can raise unlimited sums of money and then advocate for or against specific candidates. "So the system we have is truly broken."

Talking about what can be done to avoid Washington, D.C., gridlock between political parties. Bonamici said when she arrived in the nation's capital, she noticed how partisan speeches from the House floor had become, something she has avoided. Over her tenure, she said she has formed relationships at times with very conservative members of Congress, finding things done if legislators are nice to each other. She said someone once asked her if she used her skills as a lawyer when dealing with Congress.

No, she told them, "I use my mom skills."

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