Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) is moving quickly through the legislative process in Washington, DC. Below is an update on the latest developments on Capitol Hill.
What’s the latest?
On Wednesday, July 8, both the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives made progress on moving forward their respective bills to update ESEA.
House of Representatives
In the House, the Student Success Act (H.R. 5) was debated and passed the House. The final vote was close, passing by just five votes: 218-213. The House Democrats were joined by 27 House Republicans in voting against the bill. But ultimately, the House Republican leadership prevailed in passing the bill.
Read America Forward’s statement on passage of the Student Success Act.
Senate
In contrast to the party-line activity in the House, the Senate is continuing to move forward on a bipartisan path forward. Today, the Senate continued debate on the bipartisan S. 1177, Every Child Achieves Act. Amendments were debated and voted on—of the eight amendments voted on today, six passed and two failed. The Senate still has a good deal of work to do, with more than 40 amendments filed by Senators and more expected, some of which will likely be on contentious issues like school vouchers and strengthening accountability provisions in the bill. The Senate will continue to work through amendments during Thursday’s session and the coming days.
What are people talking about?
- Day one of Senate ESEA debate: Rift over accountability grows (Education Week)
- Investing in what works for education (The Hill)
- White House: ESEA rewrite needs to focus on struggling schools and students (Education Week)
- Everyone wants a new education law, but debate will feature disagreements (The Washington Post)
How can I stay informed?
You can watch the Senate Floor activity here and the House Floor activity here.
Also, follow the America Forward Team on Twitter for live updates:
@America_Forward
@LexiBarrettAF
@JCrawford_AF
The Penn Hill Group will also be posting live updates from the markup throughout the week here.
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