There is nothing partisan about catastrophes. It doesn't matter whether you are Republican or Democrat, you are going to get hit by a catastrophe.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for having this very informative hearing. I really do appreciate this very much.

This must be a priority for the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).

Congress should pass the Secondary School Innovation Fund Act (H.R. 2239) to support and evaluate innovative approaches.

The WE CARE Act inserts the notion of schools as centers of community throughout Title I, Part A of ESEA.

It is about that simple.

We need enrichment programs in the after-school hours. Kids need chances to serve and find the resilience that comes with giving back.

Nobody is following up on attendance and truancy. And what kids tell us is that that tells them nobody cares if they are in school or not.

I have gotten around my district a lot in the 2-plus years that I have been in Congress, and there are a lot of good things happening in Iowa.

What is it that works for 500 students here or 50,000 across 10 school districts and can be replicated?

Thank you for going that far. I appreciate that.