Patty Murray

Mrs. MURRAY

Mrs. MURRAY. I thank Senator Whitehouse. As ranking member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, I support this amendment, which establishes a process for educators in traditional public schools to pursue innovative, community-inspired strategies to improve education. My home State of Washington has benefited from educator-initiated innovation through the Washington Innovative Schools Program. I am proud to say that we now have almost thirty designated innovative schools that are pursuing creative and innovative educational ideas with a high level of parent and community involvement. And while providing room for innovation is important, it is also essential that we maintain important Federal safeguards. This is why under this amendment, innovation schools must still comply with part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. This program will ensure that we balance the need for flexibility while maintaining strong accountability.

Mrs. MURRAY

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, in my home State of Washington and across the country, students and parents and teachers and communities are counting on us to finally fix No Child Left Behind. I have been very glad to work with Chairman Alexander on our bipartisan bill called the Every Child Achieves Act. Our bipartisan bill gives States more flexibility while also including Federal guardrails to make sure all students have access to a quality public education. I am very proud of the bipartisan work we have done on the Senate floor--debating amendments, taking votes, and making this good bill even better. It is not the bill I would have written on my own, and I am sure it is not the bill Chairman Alexander would have written on his own, but it is a good, strong step in the right direction. And it is not the last opportunity, of course, we will have to work on this bill before it is signed into law. In fact, after the Senate passes the bill today, we will go to conference, and then I will be looking forward to working closely with their ranking member, Bobby Scott, with the administration, and with Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate who are interested in building on the Senate's bipartisan work and getting this done. I hope Chairman Kline and House Republicans will be willing to join us at the table to reach an agreement on the final product that works for our kids and our parents and our schools and our communities across the country. Strengthening accountability is extremely important to me and to Ranking Member Scott. Democrats, including 42 of our Senate Democrats, voted for Senator Murphy's accountability amendment yesterday. It is also important to the administration. We will continue to push for that in conference. We still have more work to do today before we wrap up and vote on final passage. The senior Senator from Pennsylvania has offered an amendment to expand access to high-quality early education. That is being offered by Senator Casey. Making sure kids can start kindergarten ready to learn is one of the best investments I believe we can make to help our kids succeed in school and later in life. I urge my colleagues to vote for that amendment when it comes up for a vote shortly. Then, of course, we will have a number of other amendments and finally passage, and hopefully we will be able to reach that in a positive way today. Mr. President, I said this many times on the Senate floor, but it bears repeating to emphasize how important education is for the future of this country. Providing a quality education isn't just good for students today, it is an investment in our future workforce, it is an investment in our future economy, and it is an investment in a growing strong middle class that will help our country grow stronger. As we all know, across the country today, parents, students, and teachers in our communities are looking to us to fix No Child Left Behind. So, again, I commend Senator Alexander for his strong work on this, for his willingness to work on a bipartisan basis and get us to where we are today, to be able to look very soon to passing the bill out of the Senate and continuing our work to fix this broken law. Thank you, Mr. President. I yield the floor.

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, through the Chair to the Senator from New York, I will work in conference to keep the commitment of this amendment. Mr. DURBIN addressed the Chair.

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, when all students have the chance to learn, we strengthen our future workforce. Our country grows stronger. We empower the next generation of Americans to lead the world. We create more opportunities for more families, and we help the economy grow from the middle out, not the top down. But today, across the country, stark educational inequalities exist. The students in some schools simply don't have the same opportunity to graduate college-and-career ready like other students do. In our country, all students should have access to a quality public education, no matter where they live, how they learn, or how much money their parents make. So that is why I am glad our bipartisan bill to fix No Child Left Behind has Federal protections to hold schools accountable for educating all students. And I will continue to fight for stronger protections as the bill moves forward. But educating all students is a tall order if schools don't have the very resources that help students succeed. That is why it is so important to make sure States address inequalities in resources. Senators Kirk, Reed, Baldwin, and Brown offered a bipartisan amendment that would help schools and States address persistent inequalities in resources and opportunities. I strongly urged my colleagues to support it. Students do better in school when they have access to a well-rounded education. That includes rigorous coursework that helps prepare students for a college curriculum. It includes offering classes like arts, music, physical education, and STEM education. It includes setting up effective school library programs that can inspire in kids a love for reading. Those classes and those programs create a school environment where students can learn and thrive. But too many students across the country do not have access to those critical resources. And too often, it is students of color, kids with disabilities, English-language learners, and students from low-income backgrounds who have the least access to resources that can help them get ahead. Take experienced teachers, for example. Students of color are more likely to have a teacher who is new to the profession. These students often don't have access to advanced classes and classes like art and music. Students of color are more likely than their White peers to go to a high school that does not offer AP classes. In fact, 20 percent of African-American high schoolers go to a high school that does not offer AP classes. And in 2008, White students were twice as likely to have access to arts education as African-American and Hispanic students. The same inequality exists for access to technology. Students from low-income backgrounds often don't have access to the Internet or to computers, compared to their peers. A study from Stanford University put this into sharp focus. The researchers asked teachers if their students have the digital tools they need to effectively complete assignments at home. More than half of teachers from more affluent schools said yes. But just 3 percent of teachers from high-poverty schools said their students had access to tools like computers and the Internet. All of this inequality holds students back. It widens achievement gaps. It robs students of the chance to learn and excel in the classroom. And we need to do something about it, so all students have the opportunity to learn. We have made important progress in the Every Child Achieves Act. Under the current bill, school districts will already be required to report on: access to safe and healthy school environments, per-pupil expenditures, access to advanced coursework, the number of children enrolled in preschool, and teacher qualifications. And that is a good step in the right direction. But this bipartisan amendment would take the next step. First, it would expand the list of resource indicators to include things like access to art and music and dedicated school library programs. And it would give States a choice on which resources will be the most meaningful in their communities. Most importantly, this amendment would help States remedy opportunity gaps across school districts. It does this by requiring States to create a plan to improve access to resources in the schools that lack those tools. And because the plans will be designed by the States and must include input from the communities, these plans will be tailored to fit the needs of local school districts. And States would be required to disaggregate the data on how resources are distributed by income, race, language proficiency, and disability. That will shine a light on if some groups of students are not getting the kinds of opportunities as others. And it will help parents know which resources their local schools offer and where the gaps are. In short, this amendment will help strengthen our commitment to providing a quality education to all students. This amendment is also important for another key reason. Of course, nearly everyone agrees that the current law, No Child Left Behind, is badly broken. And one of the main reasons is that it placed an almost singular focus on test scores for reading and math. But test scores do not paint the whole picture of how a school is performing. This amendment would give parents and communities a more holistic view to determine if a school is providing a quality learning environment for all students. And most importantly, this will help States focus resources on traditionally underserved populations so they will get the supports they need to succeed. Now, some of my Republican colleagues have argued that we don't need this amendment because States and school districts should be responsible for solving resource disparities. But for too long, States and school districts have gotten off the hook for stark inequality. That is why we have seen the persistent inequality of some schools simply not getting the resources they need to help their students succeed. And that needs to end. This amendment would not tell States how to address inequality. But it would require them to identify the disparities that exist and to create a plan to address them. That is why this amendment would be a good step in the right direction. I know that others have argued that simply reporting the disparities between resources would be enough. But acknowledging the problem won't necessarily solve the problem. And on something as important as ensuring that students have equal opportunities to succeed, we need action. And that is why I believe it is so important that this amendment would help States act to address inequalities. This isn't just important for student success in the classroom. It has long-term implications for our country. When some students don't have the chance to graduate from high school college-and-career ready, we lose out on the full potential of our Nation's future workforce, entrepreneurs, and leaders. In the years to come, our economy will rely on the students of today being able to take on and create the jobs of the 21st century economy. We can help States and school districts make sure all students have the resources that defines a quality education by supporting this bill and this amendment. These resources are fundamental to student success--in school and in the future. So I urge my colleagues to support this amendment to address resources equity. Amendment No. 2247, as Modified

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I first want to thank Chairman Alexander for working with me on the Every Child Achieves Act. He has been a great partner in getting us to this point with this bill. This process started when he and I agreed that No Child Left Behind is badly broken and needs to be fixed. Our bill, the Every Child Achieves Act, is an important step forward to do just that. The current law overemphasized test scores. Our bill will give States flexibility to use multiple measures, not just test scores, to determine how well a school is performing. Our bill also eliminates the one-size-fits-all provisions of No Child Left Behind that have been so damaging for our schools and our districts. Instead, it allows our communities, our parents, and our teachers to work together to improve schools and ensure that every child can get a well-rounded education. Our bill maintains Federal protections to help students graduate from high school with the tools they need to compete and lead in the 21st century economy. This is a good bill. I will keep working, of course, to make it better--even after our vote today--in conference. I hope we can continue to build on the Senate's strong bipartisan work. I will continue to push to strengthen the accountability measures in our bill and address inequality in schools. But today I urge my colleagues to vote to pass the Every Child Achieves Act that will give all students the chance to learn and grow and thrive. Let's fix No Child Left Behind. Let's prove that Congress can break through gridlock and work together. Let's pass this bill for students, parents, teachers, and communities across the country. I yield the floor.

Mrs. MURRAY

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I recently heard from a teacher in Seattle by the name of Lyon Terry. Over the course of his 17-year career, he has taught second, third, and fourth grade. What makes Mr. Terry a great teacher is the way he engages with his students. He starts the morning by playing songs on his guitar. He keeps his students laughing with jokes, and every day he tries to create an environment where kids want to come to school. Last year, he was named Washington State Teacher of the Year for 2015. This week, Mr. Terry has been following our debate on the Senate floor, and he was truly hoping we would pass this bill because he says the current law doesn't reflect the work he and his fellow teachers at Lawton Elementary School are doing every day. So let me echo the words of the chairman of our committee and the majority leader. I am proud today that the Senate passed a bill to fix No Child Left Behind for teachers like Mr. Terry, for parents, for communities, and most importantly for our students--a bill to continue our mission of delivering on the promise of providing every child with the best our Nation can provide. I have been very proud to partner with Chairman Alexander on the Every Child Achieves Act, and I want to thank him tremendously for the successful bipartisan process we have had. I want to thank all our colleagues on the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions for their work and dedication in moving this bill forward. And, of course, I want to thank the staff as well--both my staff and the staff of Senator Alexander--for all of their hard work. They have worked many, many, many long days and late nights and weekends to get us to this point today. I will submit a full list of names later, but there are some staffers in particular I want to recognize. On Senator Alexander's staff, I want to acknowledge and thank his staff director David Cleary, as well as Lindsey Seidman, Peter Oppenheim, and Lindsay Fryer. They have done an excellent job. On my staff, I want to acknowledge and thank my staff director Evan Shatz, and my education policy director Sarah Bolton for their outstanding leadership, as well as Amanda Beaumont, Leanne Hotek, Allie Kimmel, Aissa Canchola, Ariel Evans, Jake Cornett, Leslie Clithero, Aurora Steinle, Helen Hare, and Mary Robbins. Thank you for all of your hard work on this important bill. I, too, want to thank our floor staff on our side, Gary Myrick, Tim Mitchell, Tricia Engle, and all our floor staff--Republican and Democratic--for their help and guidance. We couldn't be here without them. I want to take a step back for a moment to look at the work we have done so far and the work that remains even beyond the vote we had today. Of course, nearly everyone agrees No Child Left Behind is badly broken. That goes almost without saying. I have heard it from so many parents, teachers, and administrators in Washington State--Democrats, Republicans, and Independents. They are sick and tired of the broken law in front of us. They want Congress to fix it, and they do not want us to wait any longer. That is why I am so proud our bill, the Every Child Achieves Act, is a strong step in the right direction to finally fix the broken No Child Left Behind law and make sure all of our students have access to a high-quality public education. For one, our bill addresses high-stakes testing. The current law overemphasizes test scores to measure how students are doing in school. Our bill will give flexibility to States to use multiple measures, not just test scores, to determine how well a school is performing. These steps will reduce the pressure on students, teachers, and parents so they can focus less on test prep and more on learning. Our bill eliminates the one-size-fits-all provisions of No Child Left Behind that have been so damaging for our schools and our districts. Instead, it allows communities and parents and teachers to work together to improve their schools and ensure that every child gets a well-rounded education. Our bill maintains Federal protections to help students graduate from high school college- and career-ready. When the education committee debated the bill, I was very proud to work on a bipartisan amendment with Senator Isakson to expand and improve on early learning programs. As a former preschool teacher, I have seen the kind of transformation early learning can inspire in a child. So I am very glad this bill will help us expand access to high- quality early childhood education so more kids can start kindergarten ready to learn. I have also seen fixing the current law as a multistage process. At the beginning of this year, as the chairman said, he released his discussion draft for reauthorizing ESEA. After that, the two of us had a conversation about a path as to how to move forward. Instead of going down a partisan path and letting politics become our guide, we agreed to work together to find common ground. We agreed to do everything we could to put our students first, to put the families and communities we represent first, to break through the gridlock and dysfunction that too often paralyzes this Congress, and to chart a path to fix a broken law. I again want to commend my partner Chairman Alexander for sticking to that approach. He is a role model for all of us, and I appreciate all he is doing. The result is our Every Child Achieves Act. It wasn't the bill I would have written on my own, I know it isn't the bill he would have written on his own, but it is what is called a compromise. It is a strong bill that all sides can be proud of. After we negotiated our bipartisan compromise in April, we passed our bill out of committee with a unanimous vote--12 Republicans, 10 Democrats. So I want to thank all of our Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee members who worked to improve and strengthen this bill in committee and all the Members--Democrats and Republicans on our committee and off--who wrote the dozens of amendments we included in our substitute and managers' packages, and all those who brought their ideas to the floor and debated and voted on them over the past week on the Senate floor. Today, I am very proud we have passed this bill with a strong bipartisan vote. As we know, our work is not yet done. Now we begin the next phase. As Chairman Alexander has said throughout our floor debate, ultimately we need a bill President Obama will sign into law, and though this bill has taken a number of steps in the right direction, there are still a few more we need to do before our work is done. We have important work to do in conference to reach an agreement on a final bill. The President has made it very clear to us he can only sign a bill that strengthens the accountability measures in the Every Child Achieves Act and that addresses inequality, where some schools are unable to offer the same opportunities as others. I agree that is a must, and I know I will continue to work hard, alongside ranking member Bobby Scott in the House and the administration, to make accountability and resource equity a priority in conference. The only way forward is for the strong bipartisan work we have seen in the Senate to continue in that process. Now, I will say, unfortunately, so far, House Republicans chose a partisan approach to reauthorize this bill. Their bill doesn't represent one end and ours represents another, where we have to meet in the middle. Their bill really represents an unacceptable partisan approach and path and ours represents a carefully negotiated compromise with just a few important steps to go. So I hope in conference our friends in the House, the House Republicans, will be ready to join House and Senate Democrats, Senate Republicans, and the administration as we work together to get this done in a way that works for all our students and families. By working together, I am confident we can get this bill over the finish line and fix this broken law for our teachers in my home State and across the country and help make sure all our students have a quality education. Delivering on that promise of a good education for all students will pay off for generations to come. This is one of the best investments in our country we can make to ensure we have broad- based and long-term economic growth because, as we all know, when students have the chance to learn, we strengthen our future workforce. We know our country grows stronger and we empower the next generation of Americans to lead the world. We will help our economy grow from the middle out, not just the top down, and that is something we have known for a long time. Fifty years ago, in what would be just months before signing the original Elementary and Secondary Education Act into law, President Johnson said, when it comes to education, ``nothing matters more for the future of our country.'' That is still true today. The future of our country hinges on our students' ability to one day lead the world. So I am looking forward to our continued work on this Every Child Achieves Act for our students, for our parents, for our teachers, and for the future of our country. Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Mrs. MURRAY

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, 50 years ago this week, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Older Americans Act, which enshrined into law our responsibility for helping seniors live healthier, fuller, and more independent lives. Fifty years later, I am pleased Congress has worked to reauthorize the Older Americans Act to once again uphold that promise of our Nation. And I am pleased we came together in a bipartisan way to provide important support for seniors in my home State of Washington and those across the country. I especially thank Senators Alexander, Sanders, and Burr for all of their hard work on this bill. I believe we should be doing everything we can to support seniors so they can lead healthy, independent lives. Improving opportunities for seniors is part of how we can restore some much-needed economic security for them. And it is how we can help ensure our country is working for all Americans, not just the wealthiest few. But today, far too many seniors find themselves skipping meals or going hungry, instead of getting the nutrition they need. In fact, 9.3 million seniors in our country face the threat of hunger, according to a 2012 report. And in my home State of Washington, 13.5 percent of seniors struggle with hunger. As if that isn't enough, many seniors face other serious challenges, like elder abuse. That can include mistreatment in a nursing home or financial exploitation. This bill to reauthorize the Older Americans Act supports crucial social services and nutrition programs for seniors. As one example, this bill sustains our investment in Meals on Wheels. In my home State of Washington, more than 460,000 seniors enroll in that program. Meals on Wheels is a critical lifeline for them. It is an important investment for our country. For every dollar we invest in Meals on Wheels, we can save up to $50 in Medicaid spending, according to a study from the Center for Effective Government. Among other important provisions, the bill also strengthens programs to combat elder abuse. This bill focuses on the critical importance of both abuse screenings and prevention efforts, and it would improve the response to abuse, neglect, and exploitation in long-term care facilities. It also puts a key emphasis on evidence-based public health programs. It bolsters transportation programs, and it ensures that OAA programs include a focus on seniors' behavioral health needs. I am proud that this bill is the result of strong bipartisan work. It proves yet again that when Republicans and Democrats work together, we can get results, so I hope we can build on this progress. I want to continue to work with Republicans to find common ground and get results for families and communities in Washington State and across the country. And I hope to continue to work on ways to restore economic stability and security to more seniors. In 1965, at the original signing of the Older Americans Act, President Johnson said the true significance of this bill would be in its results. He said he hoped the bill would, quote, ``help us to expand our opportunities for enriching the lives of all of our citizens in our country, now and in the years to come.'' Reauthorizing this law will carry out that mission and expand opportunities so more seniors can lead healthy, independent lives. It is an important part of our work to help the economy grow from the middle out, not the top down. It will be another step toward making sure our government is working for all families, not just the wealthiest few. Today, I call on all my colleagues to support this bill. Let's reauthorize the Older Americans Act and live up to our Nation's responsibility to seniors across the country.

Mrs. MURRAY

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, our Nation has always held the ideal of providing education for all, but a half century ago we put that ideal into action with the Elementary and Secondary Education Act or ESEA. That law aimed to close education gaps between rich and poor, Black and White, kids from rural areas, and kids from big cities. Today, we are debating an amendment to strengthen accountability in our bill to reauthorize ESEA to do even more by making sure schools are delivering on the promise of quality and equality to every student in America. Across the country, too many schools today have failed too many of our children for too long, and that has to change. Now our bipartisan bill removes the unrealistic goals and one-size-fits-all mandates of No Child Left Behind. But we can still have strong accountability without going back to those requirements. Senator Murphy's amendment, which we will be voting on shortly, will shine a light on the persistent inequality and achievement gap that still exists and do something about it, and it would ensure that we make sure children from low-income backgrounds, the kids of color, the students who are still learning English, and students with disabilities have access to a high-quality education. Under his amendment, States would identify the bottom 5 percent of schools, States would identify the high schools that are failing to graduate one-third or more of their students, and States would identify schools that have failed to help subgroups of students make progress. Now, of course, accountability is about more than just identifying the schools and districts that need help. We have to make sure those schools get the resources they need. The Every Child Achieves Act allows districts to design interventions tailored to the individual needs of low-performing schools. This amendment doesn't change that, but this amendment would give parents, teachers, and communities important measures to hold schools accountable for delivering a quality education to every child. I will also note that in our bipartisan bill, we have done a lot to help the adults in this school get the support they need from professional development to easing the burden on school administrators. I was very proud to work on all of those provisions. But this amendment isn't about the adults. It is about the children in our schools. So I urge my colleagues to vote yes on the Murphy amendment so we can do even more to make sure all of our students learn, no matter where they live or how they learn or how much money their parents make. Let's fix No Child Left Behind. Let's continue to improve this bill by strengthening accountability, and let's reaffirm our Nation's commitment to providing a quality education to every student in America. I thank the Presiding Officer, and I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, I rise again to encourage all of our colleagues to support this vote to move us to a negotiated conclusion to this very important bill. I thank the senior Senator from Tennessee, as well as the majority leader, for working with us to get this agreement so we can continue moving forward in a bipartisan way to get this done. Across the country, students, parents, teachers, and communities are really counting on us to fix No Child Left Behind. I have been very pleased to work with Chairman Alexander on this bipartisan bill called the Every Child Achieves Act. This bill will give our States more flexibility, but it will also include some Federal guardrails to make sure all of our students do have access to quality education. It passed through our committee unanimously and, for the past week or so, we have made good progress on the Senate floor. There is still some work to be done. There are a number of amendments that we will be voting on this afternoon and into tomorrow. The senior Senator from Pennsylvania is offering a very important amendment I support to expand high-quality early childhood education. We have an amendment that we will be voting on to strengthen the Federal guardrails. It is the accountability amendment from Senators Murphy, Booker, Warren, and Coons to help make sure all of our kids, especially our most vulnerable students, have what they need. There are many more amendments, as you know, from Democrats and Republicans, to finish this bill, but I urge our colleagues to vote yes on cloture. We are finishing this bill and working to make sure that we can fix a broken law. I will have more to say about the amendments as we go through the process. But at this moment, I urge all of our colleagues to support this vote, continue this bipartisan process, and let's work to get this bill done. I yield the floor. I yield back the remainder of my time.

Mrs. MURRAY. I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak for 3 minutes as in morning business.

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, every once in a while you meet an individual who thinks bigger than themselves, rises above challenges with grace, is driven by a passion to better the world around them and, most importantly, is a truly wonderful human being. I have come across many advocates and community leaders in my career, but Dr. Elson Floyd was exceptional. He was a giant in Washington State's higher education community. He inspired countless students and teachers and many across the State as Washington State University's president. I can only imagine what else he would have accomplished had his life not been cut painfully short. For 8 years, I have had the privilege to work with Dr. Floyd in his role as the beloved president of my alma mater, Washington State University. He was one of our Nation's most successful advocates for affordable and accessible higher education. I always admired his dedication to his students, his passion for education, and his desire to make a great university even better. The last time I spoke with Dr. Floyd a few months ago, he spoke of the bright future of Washington State University and the innovative steps the institution was taking to provide high-quality education to its students. As we look back now on the life and legacy of Dr. Elson Floyd, we will remember how he led WSU through a trying economic recession by tirelessly advocating for investments in higher education as a path to the middle class and how he doubled the enrollment of students of color. We will remember how he skillfully convinced our State legislature to allow the university to begin building the State's second medical school at Washington State University-Spokane. And, most importantly, we will remember how, through a warm handshake to visiting alumni or a comforting hug to a student, he always had a way of making those around him feel welcome. I hope to honor Dr. Floyd's memory by striving every day to better our higher education system with the enthusiasm and the warmth he emanated as a tireless advocate for Washington State students. There is so much we can all learn from his work, and I know his legacy will continue to live on in Washington State and across the higher education community. Thank you, Mr. President. I yield the floor.

Mrs. MURRAY

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I support this amendment, and I thank Senator Isakson for working with us on this. I encourage a ``yes'' vote.

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I rise this afternoon to speak in favor of the Franken amendment, which we will be voting on shortly. I want to start with the story of Chandler, who was a 9th grader in Arkansas who experienced daily bullying and harassment. At school, his classmates harassed him based on his perceived sexual orientation. His mom described him as a good kid. She said all he wanted was to fit in, but Chandler couldn't walk down the hall between classes without kids harassing him. He wrote to his school counselor saying he couldn't handle ``being an outcast for four more years.'' And while teachers knew about the bullying, the school district never put a plan in place to address his concerns. And one day in 2010, Chandler took his own life after enduring endless bullying and tormenting at his school. Chandler's story is more than a tragedy, it feels like an all-too- common trend for students across the country. As a mother, grandmother, a former educator, and as a citizen, I believe Congress has to act to protect kids such as Chandler. When kids do not feel safe at school, when they are relentlessly bullied because they are different, when they endure harassment simply because of who they are, we have failed to provide them with the educational opportunities they deserve. We have failed them. As we debate our Nation's K-12 education bill, we need to do everything we can to prevent bullying, harassment, and discrimination and provide students with a safe learning environment. Today, we will consider an amendment to address the unique challenges LGBT students face. I thank Senator Casey for his work on the Safe Schools Improvement Act. It is a bill we will not be voting on but will continue working on. I thank, especially, Senator Franken for his tireless leadership on the Student Non-Discrimination Act. On the HELP Committee, I have been a proud cosponsor of this legislation for years, and today I hope all of our Senate colleagues will join us in protecting students from discrimination based on their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. Discrimination, bullying, and harassment at school leads to students who feel unsafe. It leads to kids who skip classes so they avoid harassment. Some students drop out of school because they don't feel safe there. If students don't feel safe, then there is very little else we can do to improve their education that will matter. This type of bullying and harassment can be severe, particularly for LGBT students. The Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network recently did a survey on the experiences of LGBT youth in our schools. In that survey, 6 out of 10 lesbian, gay, and bisexual students reported feeling unsafe at school and 8 out of 10 transgender students said the same. Eighty-five percent of LGBT students report they have been harassed because of their sexual or gender identity. Even though bullying and harassment is prevalent for these students, they and their families have limited legal recourse for that kind of discrimination. I believe our students deserve better. The amendment we will be voting on will help to tackle this problem. The student non-discrimination amendment would prohibit discrimination and harassment in public schools based on actual or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity. The amendment would also prohibit any retaliation for lodging a complaint of discrimination. That would give our LGBT students who are suffering from bullying and harassment legal recourse, and it would allow Federal authorities to address discrimination. This amendment would offer LGBT students similar protections that currently exist for students who are bullied based on race, gender, religion, disability, or country of national origin. Unless you think LGBT students don't deserve protection from discrimination the way these other students do, this should be easy to support. This amendment is absolutely critical for expanding protections for LGBT students. Again, I thank the junior Senator from Minnesota for his tremendous work. I know some of our Republican colleagues have argued that taking steps to prevent bullying would only create lawsuits. But I believe these students deserve justice. Giving students and families legal recourse would help provide that. Under this amendment, the process for legal recourse would be similar to title IX, which actually has been on the books since 1972. In the majority of title IX cases, a school is more than willing to fix the problem so it no longer engages in discriminatory practices. After all, school leaders want to do the right thing and end bullying or harassment in their classrooms. They want to make sure their school is safe for a particular group of students. They want to make sure students are not discriminated against simply because of who they are. With this amendment, this same process would be afforded to LGBT students. I have also heard some critics of this amendment say there is no need to focus on LGBT students. They don't want to define who would be covered in an anti-discrimination amendment. But that logic doesn't follow what we already know works. There is a reason the civil rights laws of our country clearly define who is protected from discrimination. For example, our civil rights laws make it clear that it is unlawful to discriminate based on race and gender. A generic anti-discrimination policy will not cut it. A vague policy would lead to years of litigation about who is and who is not protected and what legal standards should apply. Making meaningful progress to prevent bullying, harassment, and discrimination requires us to clearly define who will be protected. We know LGBT students are being bullied. They are being harassed. They are being discriminated against. Ignoring that fact with vague language doesn't help those students; it does them a real disservice, and it is wrong. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment. The pain physical and emotional abuse can cause is tragic. In Ohio, a young man named Zach is an openly gay student. Since he was in the third grade, he has been called names at school. That abuse has escalated since then. When he was 16, Zach was physically attacked and repeatedly punched by another student during his third-period class. In a video from the ACLU, Zach's mom said it is not that Zach attended a bad school. She said: ``It's just not a good school for gay or lesbian children.'' It should not matter what school a child attends; all students deserve a safe learning environment. Bullying and harassment take that away from too many of our Nation's students. I want to take a moment to note the historical significance of this debate and the vote we will be taking on shortly. A few weeks ago, the Supreme Court settled a question that for decades has been an issue of debate in our country. After years of fighting for equal rights, LGBT couples finally have the guarantee of marriage equality nationwide and the protections that all married couples enjoy. I am proud of how far our country has come. Since the Court's ruling, this--right now, today--will be the first vote this body takes on legislation aimed at ending discrimination against LGBT individuals and in this case discrimination against LGBT children in our schools. Surely we can agree that a minority group of students who have long endured bullying, harassment, and discrimination deserves the same protections we afford other groups of students. There is no excuse for a school or for a United States Senator to stand by as our kids endure harassment and discrimination that puts their academic success and emotional well-being in jeopardy. The country will be watching. I urge our colleagues to support this amendment and give students across the country the assurance that we are on their side. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mrs. MURRAY. I yield back time.

Mrs. MURRAY

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, at Zillah High School in my home State of Washington, Jeff Charbonneau teaches science and engineering classes. Nearly half of the students in his school are struggling with poverty or come from low-income backgrounds. But despite the challenges poverty can present for students, Jeff and his colleagues engage their students and work tirelessly to help them succeed. That dedication had paid off. Zillah High School graduates more than 95 percent of its seniors, and Jeff was named National Teacher of the Year a couple of years ago. But despite all of that success, today Jeff's school is labeled as ``failing.'' The reason: Last year, Washington State lost its waiver from No Child Left Behind requirements. That means most of the schools in my home State are listed as failing. That is not fair to teachers like Jeff who pour their energy into making sure students can succeed. It is not fair to Washington State parents who are still facing a great deal of uncertainty about their child's school. It is not fair to students who deserve better than the current K-through-12 education law. It is time to finally fix No Child Left Behind. I am working hard to fix this broken law for teachers in my home State like Jeff. I am working to restore certainty for parents in Washington State and across the country because they want to feel confident in the school where they send their child. I am working to make sure all students can get a quality education at our public schools no matter where they live or how they learn or how much money their parents make. The Every Child Achieves Act is our chance to finally fix the current law. It gives States more flexibility, while also including Federal guardrails to make sure all students have access to a quality public education. I look forward to making this good bill even better. It is why I am disappointed with the majority leader's decision last night to file cloture and move toward ending debate on the bill. We still have several important issues to address. Senator Franken has an amendment to help protect LGBT students from bullying and discrimination at school. I think it is an absolutely critical issue. When students do not feel safe at school, we have failed to provide them with the educational opportunities they deserve. I hope all of our Senate colleagues agree that we need to protect LGBT students from bullying and discrimination. We also have an amendment to expand access to high-quality early childhood education from Senator Casey, making sure kids can start kindergarten ready to learn. It is one of the best investments we can make to help them succeed in school and later in life. I look forward to having that debate on the Senate floor. We also need to improve accountability. Our bipartisan bill already includes some Federal guardrails to help students get access to a quality education, but there is more we can do to strengthen those measures and make sure all kids, especially our most vulnerable students, are able to learn and grow and thrive in the classroom. So we have many issues yet to work through concluding debate on this bill. Getting this right cannot be more important for students across the country. Providing a quality education is not just good for students today, it is an investment in our future workforce, it is an investment in our future economy, and it will help our country grow stronger. Around the country, and in my home State of Washington, parents, students, teachers, and communities are looking to us to fix the No Child Left Behind law. We cannot let them down. I yield the floor.

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, as we continue to debate this bipartisan bill to fix the badly broken No Child Left Behind law, I want to take a step back to lay out why this is so important. First of all, the idea of a strong public education for all children is part of who we are as a nation. It is sewn into the fabric of America. Providing quality education is also an economic imperative. When all of our students have the chance to learn, we strengthen our future workforce, and that helps our country grow stronger. And we empower the next generation of Americans to lead the world. Education is like insurance for our Nation's future economic competitiveness in the years to come. It opens more opportunities for more students, and it helps our economy grow from the middle out, not the top down. One of the best ways I believe we can strengthen our education system is by making sure more students start kindergarten ready to learn. As we work to fix No Child Left Behind, we also have the opportunity to expand access to high-quality early childhood education and set students on a path toward success. I am very proud of the bipartisan early learning grants we secured in the base of this bill. I think we should continue to build on that bipartisan progress to make sure more students have access to high- quality early learning programs. That is exactly what Senator Casey's amendment would do. I urge my colleagues to support it. First of all, it is important to understand why early learning is essential. Learning begins at birth. Research suggests that before children set foot in kindergarten, they have already developed a foundation that will determine all of the learning, health, and behavior that follows. Early learning programs can strengthen that foundation so more students can start their K-12 education on strong footing. Preschool programs can be especially important for students from low- income backgrounds. A child growing up in poverty will hear 30 million fewer words by her third birthday compared to a child from a more affluent family. That is a serious disadvantage. By the time she starts kindergarten, the deck will already be stacked against her and her future success. Studies have confirmed both the short-term and long-term benefits of quality early learning. Children who attend preschool are less likely to repeat a grade. They are less likely to be placed in special education. They are less likely to drop out of school, depend on social safety net programs, or commit a crime. And they are more likely to go to college and earn higher wages. Research suggests we get back between $7 and $8 for every dollar we invest in high-quality preschool programs. Simply put, early learning is one of the smartest investments we can make for our families, our children, and our country. But today just 14 percent of our 3-year-olds in America are enrolled in Federal- or State-funded preschool programs and 41 percent of 4-year-olds are enrolled. If we are serious about closing education gaps in grades K through 12 and if we are truly committed to making sure all students have the chance to succeed, we have to invest in quality early education. I was pleased that during the committee debate on this bill, we were able to pass a bipartisan amendment for early childhood education. I thank my colleague Senator Isakson for working with me to include that in the committee markup. Throughout this process, I have appreciated the way he has worked with me on a bipartisan basis to improve the legislation before us. Our amendment, which is now part of the base bill we are considering, would create a grant program for States that want to improve early childhood education coordination, quality, and access. The program would target resources to low- and moderate-income families. States that want to serve children from birth to the time they enter kindergarten will be eligible. It will help support the work that States like my home State of Washington are already doing to make sure more of our youngest learners have access to preschool. These grants will help States improve the quality of their early childhood system and also expand access to high-quality early learning opportunities for more children. While I am very proud of what we have achieved in this base bill on our early childhood education, this is not the last step we need to take to improve and expand access to high-quality preschool. The grants are a step in the right direction, but we need to significantly increase investments to ensure that every child in this country starts kindergarten ready to succeed. My colleague, the senior Senator from Pennsylvania, offered an amendment that would expand access to high-quality preschool programs. It would provide Federal funding to every State that commits to improve access to high-quality learning opportunities for all of our low- and moderate-income 4-year-olds. For the States that already meet that goal, it will help them offer preschool to 3-year-olds. This amendment would support States that don't yet have the infrastructure needed to provide preschool to all low- and moderate-income kids. With preschool development grants, these States will be able to build up their early learning systems. This amendment also provides funding for early Head Start and childcare partnerships to improve the quality of childcare for infants and toddlers through age 3 and provide funding for early learning services for young children with disabilities. Finally, his amendment recognizes the importance of the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program, which I helped to create to deliver voluntary parent education and family support services to parents with young children. I am glad to say this amendment will be fully paid for by closing a wasteful corporate tax loophole. Our Tax Code is riddled with a lot of wasteful loopholes and special interest carve-outs. Far too many of these tax breaks are skewed to benefit the wealthiest Americans and biggest corporations. Today some of my Republican colleagues objected to bringing up his amendment solely because it would close one of those corporate tax loopholes. It is disappointing that they are choosing the biggest corporations over our youngest learners. I urge our Senate to consider this amendment. I support it because I believe investing in our youngest learners is so important for our children and their families, and it is one of the smartest investments we can make so students can start kindergarten ready to learn and succeed later in life. I don't believe this is a partisan issue. When I talk to sheriffs in my State, they tell me the young people they bring into the police station might have chosen a better path in life had they had a stronger start in school. That is why law enforcement officials across the country want Congress to expand early learning. Military leaders have stressed the importance of early learning investments. In fact, at a Senate hearing last year, Air Force Brig. Gen. Douglas Pierce, Retired, said: ``How we prepare our youngest kids to learn and succeed has a profound impact on our military readiness.'' Business leaders have called on Congress to support preschool programs. Why? Because they need the students of today to be able to create and take on the jobs of the 21st-century global economy. Lawmakers from red States and blue States alike see early learning as a wise investment. Alabama, Kansas, Michigan--States with Republican Governors and Republican-controlled legislatures--have recently made stronger investments in early learning. It is now time that the U.S. Senate catch up with what State lawmakers, business leaders, law enforcement officials, and military leaders recognize. We need to invest in early childhood education so all of our students can start school ready to learn. The importance of early childhood education is something I have witnessed firsthand. Before I ever thought about running for office, I taught preschool in a small community in my home State of Washington. I remember that the first day with new students would always start the same way: Some kids would not even know how to hold a pencil or turn a page in a book. But over the first few months, they catch up; they learn how. They learned how to listen at story time. They learned how to line up for recess. By the time they left for kindergarten, they had basic skills so they could tackle a full curriculum in school. I have seen the kind of transformation early learning can inspire in a child. If we are serious about strengthening our education system, we have to make sure more children have the chance to get a strong start in preschool. In reauthorizing this Education bill, we have the chance to help more students start kindergarten ready to learn. With the amendment Senator Casey offers, we have the opportunity to set kids on the path toward success not just in grade school but into adulthood. We have the chance to fortify our economic competitiveness for years to come. I urge my colleagues to support his amendment, to support this bill that already contains bipartisan early learning grants, and then take a step further and support the Casey amendment. I yield the floor.

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I yield back our time.