Rodney Frelinghuysen: “I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. I rise in support of the rule and urge specific passage of H.R. 10, the…”

“I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. I rise in support of the rule and urge specific passage of H.R. 10, the Scholarships for Opportunity and Results Reauthorization Act. Over 10 years ago Congress took action to give the children of the District a hand-up through access to a quality education by creating the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship program. I was heavily involved at that time, as a Member of the House Appropriations Committee that oversaw the District's budget, and our committee provided the initial funds. The program was the first and only initiative in America where the Federal Government provides low-income families with funds to send their children where they will have a chance to thrive--private or parochial schools--because, in some cases, some D.C. schools were not providing that opportunity. That is not all schools, but some schools. We all know the story of some District of Columbia public schools-- low graduation rates, high dropout rates, low math and reading scores-- that need to do better. We can all agree that all children in the District deserve a first-class education and the lifelong benefits that come from that education, whether it be public, private, parochial, or charter. The bill before us today will reauthorize the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship program for 5 years. By the way, the program is a huge success. Last year over 3,600 students submitted applications and the program enrolled nearly 1,500 students.…”