WASHINGTON DC – On Tuesday, September 14, 1999, Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard, Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) was joined by Ruben Hinojosa
(D-TX), Chair of the CHC’s Education Task Force, and other Congressional members to announce the Congressional Hispanic Caucus’ bill to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).  The bill, H.R. 2719, Access to Excellence and Education for the 21st Century, was presented by Congressional Caucus members during the series of events in Washington DC for Hispanic Heritage Month.

"America is the land of opportunity, and education is fundamental to achieving success," said Rep. Roybal-Allard.  "As policy makers and elected officials, we have a responsibility to provide quality education for all Americans, regardless of their economic background or race."

H.R. 2719 would establish a clearinghouse of effective school drop-out prevention, intervention and re-entry programs.  Specifically, H.R. 2719 will serve to inform parents, teachers and policy makers on best practices, effective programs and Federal resources that target the high drop out rate, especially among Latino youth.

"Schools in my district have some of the highest high school drop out rates in the nation," added Roybal-Allard.  "Unfortunately, my district illustrates an alarming pattern that exists in predominantly minority high schools nationwide."

The CHC bill addresses a number education policies including Title 1, bilingual education, migrant education and drop-out prevention,"

· Our bill increases accountability in bilingual education programs by annually assessing the performance of limited English proficient children in language acquisition.

· H.R. 2719 prescribes that non-native English speakers be tested in their native language if those test will better gauge what the student has learned.

· Finally the CHC bill would create a system to track the attendance and academic progress of migrant students and a uniform system to share information about migrant students’ needs and progress.