Parents Bill of Rights Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. MILLER of Ohio. Mr. Chairman, I believe that kids do better in school and better in life when their parents are involved in their education.

Parents have a right to know what their children are being taught. They have a right to be heard by teachers, by administrators, and certainly by their school board members and other policymakers. They have a right to protect their children's privacy and to keep them safe, and they have a right to know how schools are spending their tax dollars.

These rights are being threatened because some people believe that the government knows better than parents about what their kids need to succeed. They may be comfortable with bureaucracies standing between students and parents, but I am not.

For these reasons and others, I am proud to be a cosponsor of the Parents Bill of Rights Act to enshrine these principles into law. I thank Chairwoman Foxx and Congresswoman Letlow for their leadership in bringing this important legislation forward.

Today, I am offering an amendment to further strengthen this bill. My amendment is simple. It includes language to ensure that the rights defined in the Parents Bill of Rights extend to families of students who choose to pursue career and technical education.

One of the great challenges facing our economy is meeting the needs of a changing labor market in the United States. Specifically, we must address the skills gap. CTE achieves this goal.

In my home State of Ohio, 54 percent of jobs require skills training. During the 2020-2021 school year, Ohio had over 127,000 secondary CTE participants, and the Class of 2021 earned over 51,000 industry- recognized credentials while graduating high school.

These are among the hardest working students that you will find, regardless of educational route, and these students matter just as much as those who go to college.

My amendment ensures that families of CTE students are protected by the law in the same way that students on the traditional route are protected.

A vote in support of this amendment sends the message that career and technical education is not only good for students, but it is great for students. It is great for business, and it is great for our communities.

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Mr. MILLER of Ohio. Mr. Chair, I fundamentally believe that our colleagues on the other side of the aisle mean well, but I am shocked and appalled that we don't support technical education. This is a solid amendment.

What I just heard, Mr. Chair, is that some of our colleagues on the other side of the aisle don't like our union counterparts, who don't like our carpenters, who don't like our pipe fitters, who don't like our welders, and who don't like our steelworkers that we support.

That is what I am hearing. I am disturbed by the fact that we cannot support the silent majority within this country, the backbone of our Nation in technical education throughout this country really is tough for me to swallow right now. I am glad that the American people can see this for what it is.

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Mr. MILLER of Ohio. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

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