John Kline: “I thank Chairman Chaffetz for yielding. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 10, the Scholarships for…”

“I thank Chairman Chaffetz for yielding. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 10, the Scholarships for Opportunity and Results Reauthorization Act. It is a bill to continue the popular and successful D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program. This program is based on the simple notion that every child deserves an excellent education regardless of the family's background, income, or ZIP Code. The program provides scholarships to students in low- income families so they can escape underperforming schools and receive the quality education they need to excel both in the classroom and later in life. Our investment in this effort is paying off. Last year, 90 percent of 12th graders who received a D.C. Opportunity scholarship graduated from a high-quality school, and 88 percent went on to pursue a college degree. What is more, when asked if they were satisfied with the child's education, 85 percent of the parents responded ``yes.'' It is no wonder every year the demand for scholarships far exceeds the number of scholarships available. These positive results also explain why this important program has long enjoyed bipartisan support. Of course, there are some who don't believe these vulnerable families deserve the opportunity to do what is best for their children's education. At a time when this administration has spent billions of dollars pushing its own pet projects and priorities, it has routinely put this modest, successful program on the chopping block.…”