John Kline: “I thank the gentleman for yielding. Let me thank my colleague from Texas for his leadership on this important issue. I…”

“I thank the gentleman for yielding. Let me thank my colleague from Texas for his leadership on this important issue. I understand and appreciate your concern about this Federal role in education policy. That is why we were happy to include your amendment in the underlying bill. It made the bill stronger and gave another tool to parents and local officials to protect their rights when it comes to educating our children. This amendment, in combination with other strong provisions to rein in the Secretary, including an absolute ban on his ability to force any State to adopt the Common Core State Standards or any other particular standards, ensures the Federal Government cannot dictate what is taught in schools, what assessments are given, or what standards are used. In fact, this amendment ensures States willfully accept the limited requirements that will come with these funds and reaffirms what decisions should be left to the States. I thank the gentleman for offering this provision and his commitment to a limited Federal role in education, and I yield back to the gentleman.”