Press Releases

Congressional Black Caucus Applauds the Passage of the Conference Report to Reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)

Washington, DC, December 3, 2015

Today, Congressional Black Caucus Chairman G. K. Butterfield released the following statement following House passage of the conference report to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA):

“Members of the Congressional Black Caucus commend our colleague Congressman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), Ranking Member of the Committee of Education & the Workforce for his tireless efforts to successfully pass the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), and for championing the preservation of critical civil rights protections for students and the historic commitment to low-income children and communities.

“Ensuring equity in education is a fundamental right and not a privilege, since 1965, the ESEA has been an essential tool for promoting fair and equal access to quality public education and helping to reduce educational disparities between students of all backgrounds, ethnicities, cultures, abilities, and beliefs.  But with the expiration of ESEA in 2007, many states have implemented the remaining requirements of that law through an imperfect system of waivers.  The ESSA is a significant improvement to the status quo and is a critical step in upholding and defending the United States Supreme Court’s decision in Brown v. Board of Education.”

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Since its establishment in 1971, Members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) have joined together to empower America’s neglected citizens and address their legislative concerns.  For more than 40 years, the CBC has consistently been the voice for people of color and vulnerable communities in Congress and has been committed to utilizing the full Constitutional power and statutory authority of the United States government to ensure that all U.S. citizens have an opportunity to achieve the American Dream.  To learn more about the Congressional Black Caucus, visit http://cbc-butterfield.house.gov.

Media inquiries: Candace Randle Person at (202) 593-1331 or Candace.Randle@mail.house.gov