space. it's really important to us. it will continue to evolve. so there's significant, significant activity in those spaces. they do directly affect the fight. let me see if mark wants to add anything. mr. mccord: congresswoman, on the liberty, i'll circle back with you make sure we are closing loops on that whole project. i was very proud to be there with you. on the communications piece, communication is fundamental. obviously to the conduct of military operations. one of the key pieces of our joint war fighting concept. our community from a defensive standpoint, our communication systems has to become more resilient. general milley: and less susceptible to eitherring spoofing or intercepting and collecting off of our signal systems. i think we are pretty good, but we need to get better.

in terms of broader implications, social media anded advent of social media, if you think -- and the advent of social media, if you think about it the iphone dame came out in 2008. >> we are going to leave this to fulfill our more than 40-year commitment to live coverage of congress. the u.s. house is about to gavel in. -to-taeplt to override president biden's first veto legislation. repealing the labor department investment rule. members will also begin work on a bill to increase parental oversight of k through 12 school curriculum. live coverage of the house here on c-span. the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order. the prayer will be offered by chaplain kibben. ms. wasserman schultz: would you

pray with me? -- chaplain kibben: so our souls long for you. our very beings thirst for you, you, the living god. be with those who intentionally fast in this season of lent and ramadan even as they wash their hands, purify their hands, and draw near to you -- draw near to them. call each of them to come close to you and deliver us from our dependence on our physical strength and uphold us with the power you alone bestow on us. save us from our inclination to fill our minds with disparaging thoughts and our mouths with sarcasm and gossip. release us from anything that de deters from the good and righteous life you call us to lead. then, may we in our deprivation

be privileged to receive your revelation of truth. may we in our weakness learn to draw our strength from you. break into our lives this season and remind us once again that who we are, what we enjoy, and all that we receive are grace gifts from you. we humble ourselves before you in the hope that you will restore us to the fullness which is found only in you. in your most holy name we pray, amen. the speaker: the chair has examined the journal of the last day's proceedings and announced to the house the approval thereof. pursuant to clause 1 of rule 1 the journal stands approved. the pledge of allegiance will be led by the gentlewoman from north carolina, ms. ross. ms. ross: i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with

liberty and justice for all. the speaker: the chair will entertain up to 15 requests for one-minute speeches on each side of the aisle. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from north carolina seek recognition? ms. foxx: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker: without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. ms. foxx: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise to congratulate the american flood coalition for five years of driving proactive solutions to combat flooding. during this time, the american flood coalition has brought together political, military, business, and local civic leaders to build resilience against stronger storms and more frequent flooding. in north carolina's fifth district, recent tropical storms have brought inches of rain in only a matter of hours, triggering destructive floods

and landslides. these storms can leave behind millions of dollars in damages that burden communities for years. the american flood coalition works across all levels of government, supporting process improvements and projects that directly protect against such impacts while lifting the experiences and needs of members to drive transformational adaptation policy at the federal level. congratulations, american flood coalition, of five years of protecting our nation's residents, economy, and military installations from flooding. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from north carolina seek recognition? ms. ross: mr. speaker, i seek to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman is reco recognized for one minute. ms. ross: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to honor the 2023

school librarian of the year. wake county's own julie stivers. at the mount vernon middle school, she is the librarian and has worked to create an environment where students, not only learn and thrive, but also where they can express their creativity and see their identities and interests represented in literature. outside her library, a sign boldly reads, in this library, we don't shush. we roar. children's socioeconomic status should not determine their opportunities to learn, which is exactly why the library holds two book fairs a year, where students can choose new books at no cost. as others have worked to ban books from schools across the country, julie has fought against harmful proposals that

would ban lgbtq+ books in wake county. julie cultivates a welcoming space to ensure her students feel at home. congratulations on this well-deserved achievement. thank you, mr. speaker, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from south carolina seek recognition? mr. wilson: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. wilson: thank you, mr. speaker. "the washington post" lead editorial march 10 confirmed the murd murderous invasion of ukraine by war criminal putin demands western support of ukraine as, quote, president biden will be tested and judged by his own success in making a case for this country to step up and applying its military and industrial might. sadly, there is a gap between the west supported rhetoric of equipping ukraine and the pace of actual deliveries of arms and ammunition. it is critical that the

administration perceive interests clearly and explain them compellingly. but our -- but also maintain a basic principle of civilized international -- it's also crucial to submit a message to china, north korea and would-be aagreesors. it's clear that president biden will be tested and judged by his decisions to support the courageous people of ukraine. thank you, prince william, heir to the british throne, for visiting ukrainian troops. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from massachusetts seek recognition? mr. mcgovern: i seek unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. mcgovern: mr. speaker, any mom or dad knows that being a parent is a lifetime job. it doesn't end when your kids

are 18 and it certainly doesn't end when they're 7. that's why i was horrified when a republican colleague of mine on the agriculture committee introduced a bill last week to kick parents with kids over the age of 7 and older adults ages 50 to 65 off snap by imposing harsh new work requirements. let's be clear about who this would penalize. grandparents raising grandchildren. folks who can't work full time because childcare is too expensive. single moms and dads struggling to make ends meet. over 10 million people, one in four snap recipients, live in households that would be at risk of losing food assistance under this bill, including four million children. when we kick parents off snap, we make it harder for them to feed their children. it's as simple as that. we have a chance to increase access to healthier locally grown food by funding snap and passing a farm bill with a robust nutrition title. let's focus on helping families put food on the table instead of trying to figure out ways to make life harder for working

parents and let's all commit to ending hunger now. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? mr. thompson: mr. speaker, request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. thompson: well, thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise today to celebrate national agriculture week, which kicked off march 21, also known as national ag day. for 50 years, this week has marked a time to honor american farm families and the unsung world that agriculture plays in all our lives. the safe and abundant food and fiber supply americans rely on a daily basis comes from hardworking farming communities across this country. with rising input costs, market uncertainty, increased regulations and global supply chain disruptions, producers are facing increased hardship. only 2% of americans are employed in the agriculture sector. yet, they successfully feed our entire nation and the world.

despite the odds being stacked against them. during this week of education appreciation, i want to emphasize rural america what i like to call essential america as the backbone of our nation. mr. speaker, this year we are re-authorizing the farm bill. the farm bill will put producers first and aims to revitalize rural america by restoring the farm safety net and expanding market access and much more. this is a day i call -- this week to celebrate national agriculture week. thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from the virgin islands seek recognition? ms. plaskett: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. ms. plaskett: thank you, mr. speaker. my lord, my savior, jesus christ, said when he was on this earth, suffer the children to come to me and to not deny them.

unfortunately this week, my republican colleagues are bringing forward a bill, h.r. 5, the so-called parents bill of rights, which will continue to not teach our children to love, not teach them tolerance, not teach them the plethora of issues and ideas that extend to all americans, but will bring culture wars into our classrooms, will deprive our students of accurate and fact-based education, will not teach them tolerance and love. americans everywhere overwhelmingly agree that congress should focus on tangible assistance that will improve student outcomes, not polarizing culture wars. the pandemic has already erased years of learning from our children and nothing in this legislation will address that issue. we have not had one hearing on guniolence in our classrooms. instead, we are prioritizing

maga talking points over improving student ocomes. let's get back to the people's business. let's teach tolerance and love to our children. let parents open their hearts and their children's hearts to what needs to be done. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia seek recognition? >> mr.peaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker prtempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to ask for my colleagues' support on my new bill, the tranq research act. this bill directs the national institute of standards and technology to analyze and advance research on dangerous fentanyl additives that are putting public safety officers' lives at risk, including those arding our borders fentanyl has been entering our country at record levels over the past two years. now we are witnessing danrous cartel adding even more harmful

chemicals,ike tranq, to a already deadly substance. tranq is also a dangerous substance containing a veterinary tranq which lieser which -- tranquilizer which combined with fentanyl becomes deadlier than fentanyl itself. the d.e.a. says detections of tranq in fentanylncreased 198% in the southern united states. mr. collins: and from 2020 to 2022, georgia saw 1,120% increase in overdose deaths involving this deadly concoction. and this issue may be more widespread than we know. this bill is another step in fighting dangerous fentanyl additives by understanding what these additives are, how to test for them and how to safely handle them. we can better protebct our firs responders. this is a commonsense bill and i ask for my colleagues' support in supporting this. thank you, mr. speaker, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois seek

recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, i ask -- a quick show of hands, wonder how many of us had someone come into their office and ask the world safer for their competitors? no hands were raised. this is because there is no lonelier position in position than being an advocate for free and competitive markets. competition is hard. free markets are scary. that's why when markets allocated capital to clean energy, cheaper energy and it disp displaced fossel energy, the losers came to washington and got the majority of the people in this body and the majority of the people in this house to block that free flow of capital. mr. casten: i'd like to thank the minority of my colleagues and president biden, who blocked that from happening, who stood up for markets in spite of how hard it was. to my republican colleagues who are being pressed by your donors and your colleagues in william f. buckley's words, to stand history yelling stop, i

sympathize. it is hard and it is scary to support progress. it is hard and it is scary to support markets. and i hope that you will do what is right in spite of that pressure. there is no pride in only doing the right thing when it's easy but history will smile on the brave. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does -- >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> i rise today to celebrate an extraordinary rhode island veteran, dwuy t -- duey truilly. he and his family settled in rhode island. after graduating from central high school in providence, duey was drafted as a radio operator for the p-51 mustang unit in the united states.

his base was the notorious island of iwo jima and was present when the u.s. forces raised the flag than on february 23, 1945, which also happens to be his birthday. . just a month ago he celebrated his 100th birthday. an avid golfer and painter he resides in warwick where he is an active member of the veterans support group. i ask everyone to support me in saluting duey truilly. i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman rise? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized. >> i rise today to recognize the gentleman from virginia, former university of virginia basketball coach terry holland. coach holland was hired in 1974 at the young age of 31 to be

head coach of the u.v.a. basketball program after they'd only experienced three winning seasons in 21 years. under his leadership they'd win 300 games in 16 years, make two final four appearance, win and n.i.t. title, an a.c.c. championship and three regular season a.c.c. titles. coach holland also won two a.c.c. coach of the year awards. he refrierd coaching in 1990 and then returned in 1959 to serve as athletic director. in 2014 he perm innocently retired. sadly about four weeks ago, at the age of 0, coach holland succumbed to alzheimer's disease. his exemplary life truly impacted the lives of student athletes, his coaches, his colleagues, his competitors and of course his loyal fans along with the entire university of virming community. i yield back, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? >> i rise to ask permission to address the house for one

minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> i rise today because frankly i'm angry. this week d.c. republicans' hypocrisy is on full display. at the same time they push a bill they claim supports parents they're slashing funding for critical programs that countless parents depend on my daughter lil lain just turned 1 and is one of the -- as one of the few people in this chamber who has changed a diaper recently i'm tire. republicans can't claim to be the party of parents when in the same breath they're gutting child care and education funding. they can't claim to be the party of parents when they focus more on banning books than teffing kids to read. our kids are struggling right now. it's time congressional republicans put aside their political tantrums and do something to help. or better yet, get out of the way and let us parents get it done. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without

objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. >> across the country too many americans are competing for too few homes. building material shortages push up development costs, slow construction and leave families scrambling. cities, states and industry cannot alone overcome tease staggering obstacles. they need federal cooperation, and washington is failing to be a good partner. ms. porter: last congress we had a real shot at getting this done. i backed a bipartisan proposal to give states more tax credits to build affordable homes. it would have modernized bond financing requirements to fund more housing withless debt. these actions could have helped build more than 300,000 homes in california. we would lower costs for families, bring new jobs to our communities and grow our entire economy. americans are struggling because of the housing crisis. a crisis of cost and supply. californians have a message for washington. we need help with housing.

i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from florida seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. today i rise as a mother who went to many parent-teacher meetings and a few sessions with the principal and a grandmother who just loves to see my own child's engagement in my grandchildren's education. but today the congressional republicans are mimicking my home state, florida's, extreme right-wing cruel policies. alarmingly and sadly, in florida, today, lawmakers are banning books, they're threatening to jail teachers, they're bullying lgbtq+ students

and they're suppressing history. in florida a teacher can actually go to jail for putting a book about rosa parks or the holocaust on a child's table. teachers can be fined for comforting a gay child who is being teased for her gender. schools can lose funding if they promote diversity or they teach black history. really? mr. speaker -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. ms. frankel: parents want guns banned, they want their children to be nurtured, they want their teachers to be paid well. i yield bag. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from nevada seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to honor the life and career of detective herman moody who passed away on

february 25 at the age of 98. herman moody was the first black police officer in the las vegas metropolitan police department. he attended las vegas high school and afterward honorably served in the u.s. navy during world war ii. after the war in 1946, he began his 31-year service to the las vegas community as part of the police department when the town was still segregated and there wasn't even a police academy for him to learn. mr. horsford: he was undeterred, however, and taught himself how to file reports that would stand up in court. he found books about nevada law so he could make good arrests and he shared that knowledge with his colleagues to raise the standards of the entire las vegas police force. and while he battled discrimination and was passed over for promotions he never let that deter him from his goal. he rose to the highest ranks and

served as the second highest senior officer in the las vegas metropolitan police department. my condolences to his wife, magnolia, to the las vegas metropolitan police department and to the entire family. detective moody, may you rest in peace. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from indiana seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, by the direction of the committee on rules i call up house resolution h.res. 241 and ask for its immediate consideration. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the resolution. the clerk: house calendar number 8, house resolution 241, resolved that at any time after adoption of this resolution the speaker may, pursuant to clause 2-b of rule 18, declare the house resolved into the committee of the whole house on the state of the union for consideration of the bill, h.r. 5, to ensure the rights of parents are honored and protected in the nation's public schools. the first reading of the bill shall be dispensed with.

all points of order against consideration of the bill are waived. general debate shall be confined to the bill and shall not exceed two hours equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on education and the workforce or their respective designees. after general debate the bill shall be considered for amendment under the five-minute rule. in lieu of the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the committee on education and the workforce now printed in the bill, it shall be in order to consider as an original bill for the purpose of amendment under the five-minute rule an amendment in the nature of a substitute consisting of the text of rules committee print 118-2. that amendment in the nature of a substitute shall be considered as read. all points of order against that amendment in the nature of a substitute are waived. no amendment to that amendment in the nature of a substitute shall be in order except those printed in the report of the committee on rules accompanying this resolution. each such amendment may be offered only in the order printed in the report, may be offered only by a member designated in the report, shall

be considered as read, shall be debatable for the time specified in the report equally divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent, shall not be subject to amendment, and shall not be subject to a demand for division of the question in the house or in the committee of the whole. all points of order against such amendments are waived. at the conclusion of consideration of the bill for amendment the committee shall rise and report the bill to the house with such amendments as may have been adopted. any member may demand a separate vote in the house on any amendment adopted in the committee of the whole to the bill or to the amendment in the nature of a substitute made in order as original text. the previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill and amendments thereto to final passage without intervening motion except one motion to recommit. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from indiana is recognized for one hour. >> for what purposes of de-- for

the purposes of debate only i yield the cust mir 30 minutes to the gentlewoman from pennsylvania. all time yielded is for purposes of debate only. last night the rules committee met and reported out a rule, h.res. 241, providing for consideration of h.r. 5. the parents' bill of rights is to be considered under a structurele radio -- structured rule with two hours of debate and provides for one motion to recommit. mr. speaker, i rise in support of this rule and in support of the underlying legislation. the parents' bill of rights would secure a fundamental right parents should always be guaranteed, the right to make informed decisions about their children. mrs. houchin: as my first time managing a floor debate i couldn't think of a better bill to focus on. our families in indiana and across the country deserve debate on h.r. 5 and we plan to deliver. as a mother of three children in

school, i know how important it is for parents to know what's happening in the classroom. unfortunately, this bill is necessary. because school districts across the country have failed to deliver basic transparency and that became painfully obvious to parents in the pandemic. our living rooms became classrooms. parents came to realize exactly what their children's days looked like. many parents were surprised and disappointed by what they were learning about their children's educational experiences. like many of my colleagues, i prefer that most decisions regarding education be made at the state and local level. and this bill does not change that. but the actions over the past few years have compelled us to stand up and to act. there's been example after example of this becoming a bigger problem. in one example a father from virginia had to learn his daughter was assaulted in the high school bathroom from his child, not the school. stories like this one shouldn't

become the new northernal. as i said in the rule committees during the hearing about the bill just last night, sending a child to public school does not terminate parental rights at the door. i worked in child services. i've cared for children in foster care. when foster parents are caring for their children in the custody of the state, they can't give those kids a haircut without giving -- getting permission from the child's biological parents. shouldn't the same apply though student's well being and safety in our schools? yet parents are left pleading. they're left to plead for information to plead for the safety of their kids in public restrooms to plead for the quality of their kids' education. and to plead for anyone who would listen to help restore their parental rights. this bill would restore transparency, consultation and notification requirements to existing law. in doing so it would give parents the right to more easily obtain critical information from school administrators, boards and teachers to make informed

decisions regarding their children's education. the bottom line, it gives power back to parents. as a republican education and the work force committee members have said the parent's bill of rights contains five basic principles, one that parents have the right to know what their children are being taught. that parents have a right to be heard. that parents have a right to see the school budget. that parents have a right to protect their children's privacy. and that parents have a right to keep their children safe. now these goals are hard to fight against but we have heard critic says this bill is somehow politicizing education or that bureaucrats know better than parents. or that we're encouraging the banning of books. let me be clear. nothing in this bill has anything to do with banning books. or even that parent engagement is somehow better than parent's rights model. but that's simply not true. instead this bill provides and opportunity to ensure our kids

our prepared to contribute to this great country of ours. it aims to strengthen parent and teacher partnerships where they exist and close information gaps where parent and teacher partnerships could be improved. while there are many challenges in our schools, one we should all be able to agree on, tack -- agree on tackling is that administrators, educators and parents should be on the same page. the first step in achieving that goal is improving our parents' access to information about their kids' experiences. one example of this is an amendment i was able to offer during the markup a few weeks ago. it required notification of parents when a student isn't reading at grade level proficiency by the end of third grade. our child literacy rates are falling behind and the more parents know, the more they can help, the better. in the end, by passing the parent's bill of righters with one step closer to what everyone want, providing our students the best learning experience inside and outside of the classroom and

giving parents a proper say in their children's future. i urge my colleagues to support this rule and i reserve the balance of my time. . ms. scanlon: mr. speaker, i thank the gentlelady from indiana for yielding the customary 30 minutes. mr. speaker, i think we can all agree that public education plays a central role in our democracy, helping to ensure the jeffersonian ideal of having an informed electorate to participate in the governance of our country. and i think we can also agree that it's vitally important that parents, as their children's primary caregivers, play an active role in their kids' education in our public schools. that's why governance of our public schools is entrusted to local boards of education, where most school board members are in fact parents, and are directly responsible to the communities they serve. in our fast-pace and online

world, the glue that so often holds our communities together are our neighborhood schools, the parent and teacher home and school organizations that support them, and the extracurricular athletics that we gather at. and that's why it's so disappointing that the republican majority has chosen to bring a floor to the bill that under -- bring a bill to the floor that undermines and doesn't face the real issues facing america's schools today. contrary to the bill's title, this does not give parents any more rights than they have. the cato institute has criticized this bill doing nothing to actually empower parents. the so-called rights this bill claims to establish, like parents' ability to meet with their teachers, examine school budgets or protect their children's privacy, this is already enshrined in law and things our schools nationwide already do and in which parents

consistently participate in. what this bill does do is promote efforts to inject divisive d.c. politics and culture wars into our neighborhood schools and to create burdensome new federal mandates for those schools, dictating to our local communities and our local taxpayers how and when to perform certain tasks. to add insult to injury, this bill doesn't offer any funding to meet these new federal mandates or propose resources that would actually help students and families or support our public schools, many of which are already struggling to make ends meet under inequitable funding formulas. this bill would force schools to invest already scarce time and resources towards onerous compliance requirements and administrative costs and away from crucial measures that actually improve student outcomes. all with no additional money and with no discernible benefit to our children. ultimately, this bill is an

active federal overreach that would hinder students' ability to learn and undermine the important work that educators like librarians and other school officials would do every day. it would undermine the valuable relationships between parents and between students and teachers, relationships that are built on trust and shared goals. the truth is the primary concern for too many teachers and parents are to make sure that their children have enough to eat, a bed to sleep in at night, and can get to and from school safely. this bill does not address those critical needs or for that matter anything else that promotes student success and well-being. what this bill does do is open the door to allowing a noisy minority to dictate what all students can and cannot read or learn and that hurts both our kids and our communities. we've already seen in florida and other states that have passed versions of this bill that the provisions buried in this legislation have allowed

right-wing bullies to ban books and gut history lessons and marginalize some of ourmmities. the beauty o critical thinkers and functional adults by meeting and learning about the diversity of people, viewpoints and experiences in the world around them. allowing some parents to dictate their world view to all parents and students in our public schools does a disservice to both our schools, our children, and our communiti efforts have the lgbtq community. perhaps my republican colleagues are discounting the opportunities for parental engagement that are already baked into our public education system because the views they're pushing, to ban books and white wash history, are not accepted by the overwhelming majority of americans. i know how much children benefit when parents and teachers work together to help them reach their full potential. i know this from experience. i spent a decade providing

training and representation for parents and students in the public school system. i spent two decades while my children attended public schools as a home and school parent, a classroom volunteer and like my father and sister before me, a school board member, to help not only my kids but all the kids in the district to succeed. i often think that school boards are one of the purist forms of local representative democracy. unpaid members from the community, most of them, like myself, parents, spend endless hours working together with school administrators, educators, and parents all united by a common goal, to do what's best for all of our children. over the years, i had countless conversations with involved parents and constituents in grocery stores, at school concerts, on soccer fields and former board meetings about how our schools can best serve our children and taxpayers, where we can do better and where we were

limited limited by financial constraints. -- limited sometimes by financial constraints. people didn't always agree but everyone expected our democratic processes and the boundaries of protected speech. as we sought to reach the best possible solutions for our community. those conversations and deliberations also reflected a core principle of our civil society, one that's important to remember as we struggle to reduce the hyper partisanship and lack of civility in our politics and to model good behavior for our children. that is the principle of cooperation and compromise that having the loudest voice or being a bully doesn't mean that you always get to win. this bill, h.r. 5, does not help parents, educators, and school districts to work together more effectively. instead, this bill pits parents against each other and against teachers in a way that creates more chaos and community discord. that hurts students and

families, disregards talented educators, undermines public schools, and detracts what should be our ultimate goal -- providing the best possible public education for america's children. our national motto is emrur business uniup -- emrur business uniup, not my way or the highway. we are stronger when we bring our diverse strengths together and this bill undermines that goal. i now represent a congressional district with 21 school districts in it, including one of the largest in the country. and i talk to a lot of parents in my community. parents in my district want to talk about how to help our kids skid. they want to -- kids succeed. they want to know how to hire more teachers, librarians. they want to prepare our kids with the jobs of the 21st century. they want schools in our communities that serve the healthy food kids need to learn and grow. that offer mental health

resources. and teach the skills that everyone needs to be engaged and informed citizens and taxpayers to ensure our long-lasting democracy. and overwhelmingly, these parents are appalled that bills like h.r. 5 threaten to open the floodgates to book bans, more restrictions on what can be said in the classroom, and attempts to rewrite history and censor facts, all at the expense of our students. while it sounds benign, this bill will be used to limit racism in the american story or betrayals of lgbtq people in books. all while refusing to deliver on what parents are actually asking for, to keep their children safe. the kind of policies that house democrats are bringing to the table to keep children safe from dangerous toxins like asbestos and lead that are still prevalent in school. to keep children safe from gun violence. now the leading cause of death for american children. we need commonsense gun safety laws that keep weapons out of

our classrooms and out of the hands of children so parents aren't scared that one day they'll send their kids to school and they'll never come home. my colleagues on the other side of the aisle will often talk about being the party of small government and local control. they condemn the intrusion of the federal government into local affairs, but this legislation is nothing more than an attempt to nationalize our education system and mandate a one-size-fits-all approach across the country. assuming that the size that fits is the right-wing straitjacket. and even the cato institute says h.r. 5 suffers from a fundamental flaw -- it's not constitutional. we should give young people the resources they need to learn and grow, not stifle their ideas, threaten their civil rights, censor their classrooms and teachers and take books off library shelves. and we should not promote chaos and bullying in communities. mr. speaker, i reserve the

balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman from indiana is recognized. ms. houchin: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. houchin: mr. speaker, i yield three minutes to the gentleman from south carolina, mr. norman. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. norman: thank you. i want to thank you for bringing this important bill up to the floor. i fully -- i rise and fully support h.r. 5. and folks, this bill could be called the parents bill of rights transparency bill because that's all it does, it's transparency. and you know, as i look into the balcony, i see a lot of young people, middle-age people, people with children, maybe grandchildren. and nowhere in this bill is it banning any books. nowhere. as my good friend from texas yesterday during rules pointed out, he had -- my friends on the

other aisle had one book. i see they have a stack of books now. let me see if they will give you an example of books that you can pull up on the internet that are taught in public schools all over the country. let me see if they're going to recognize the book "beyond magenta", it's a documentary on the lgbtq youth. it says i was sexually active from the time i was 6 and i won't go into other things they said. are you going to highlight these books? another book "the book is gay" talks about orgies, kinks and sex acts. are you going to highlight that? "gender queer" was the book that's a novel and had a debate on -- in the libraries and it had explicit images of oral sex.

are you going to highlight that book? let's -- let's take "juliette takes a breath", discusses a woman's journey coming out as a lesbian and contains graphic descriptions of sexual encounters. folks, i could go on and on. this -- it lists i don't know how many different books. parents, is this something you want your children to read? parents, is this something that encourages academics and allows that child to compete in the 21st century? is this a book that promotes what your child needs to know? it's sad that this bill is even needed. but it's estimated that between ki kindergarten and the 12th grade a student will spend over 15,000 hours at school, that's 15,000 hours when parents are trusting other people to do what's in the

best interest of their child. it's good that american parents are taking a stand now. they're pushing back on these kind of books that i don't think they're going to mention. i've got four children, 17 grandchildren. we got a notice a week ago, a school that has -- where the parents are upset because they're allowing boys to go into -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. norman: can i have another 30 seconds? ms. houchin: i'd like to yield another 30 seconds for mr. norman. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for 30 seconds. mr. norman: bottom line, the school was allowing males to go in female bathrooms. this is intoll rabble. this bill -- intolerable. this bill is needed. this bill gives parents the right to know what their child is being taught. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentlewoman from indiana. ms. houchin: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: reserves. the gentlewoman from pennsylvania is recognized. ms. scanlon: thank you. i'd like to ask unanimous

consent to enter a letter from the american library association opposing.r. 5, saying that the bill would create a catalyst for more book banning and censorship. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. scanlon: thank you. mr. speaker, i'd like to yield 3 1/2 minutes to the gentleman from massachusetts the distinguished ranking member o the committee on rules, mr. mcgovern. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. mcgovern: so let me get something straight her republicans keep saying, as they st did, that nothing i this bill has anything to do with banning books. we keep hearing it over and over and over. we've heard the same thing in state after state as republicans have passed bills like this, and now we have over 1,600 books and mo every month pulled from the shelves. they are banned. democrats put forward amendments to prevent politicians from banning books. they all voted no. democrats put forward six amendments to prevent censorship. th all voted no. and now they're trying to pretend like they have no

and now they try to pretend they have no idea why we'd be concerned about book bans. i'm a parent my wife and i have gone to countless parent-teacher conference whence our kids were in public school. both of my cysters are public school teachers. i know how hard they work to involve parents in their ks' education. don't lecture us. we are parents. we know what this is about. it is about banning books. this bill is going to be weaponized by far right groups and used to threaten schools with legal action if they don't pull books off the chele vs. it's going to force teachers to decide between staying silent and teaching something that certain politicians in their state don't like. it's already happening, for god's psych. ask the teach for the iowa who was told that they cannot teach that slavery was wrong. ask the teach for the texas who was told that they have to teach, quote, the opposite perspective on the holocaust.

ask the teach for the florida who was fired for exposing a book banning spree at the hands of ron desantis that would make the chinese communist party blush. i have a few books that republicans want to ban. there's too many to go through now but let me recite a few. "te life of rosa parks." "who is sojourner truth." the biography of nelson mandela. "the story of harvey milk." you notice any pattern here? they want to ban books about black and brown people and about lgbtqi+ people. it is sick. it is hateful. what is wrong with them. if you don't like a book, don't let your kid read it. but you don't get to tell the rest of the parents what our

kids are allowed to read. talk to your kids' teachers, but don't take away money from schools that fall on the wrong side of the maga culture wars. with egave republicans dozens of chances to improve this bill and make it address issues that our schools face. they voted no on all of them. get. this they voted no on getting lead pipes out of schools. they actually voted no on that. they care more about getting rosa parks out of our schools than lead pipes. and i think that says it all. so never in my life did i think i would see such a reprehensible, disgraceful bill come to the floor. we should trust parents and teachers and students to think for themselves without having toxic, maga culture wars shoved down their throats by republicans in congress. vote no on this awful rule and on this awful bill and i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentlewoman from pennsylvania reserves. the gentlewoman from indiana is recognized.

mrs. houchin: i'd like to yield five minutes to the gentleman from texas, mr. roy. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. roy: thank you, mr. speaker. i thank the gentlelady from indiana. let's just make sure the american people know the truth. parents have the right to know what their children are being taught. parents have the right to be heard. parents have the right to see the school budget and spending. parents have the right to protect their child's pricy. parents have the right to keep their children safe. that is what my democratic colleagues are objecting to. and notice how they're objecting. notice what they're trying to do. it is a page as old as time in the democratic playbook. fear mongering. racial division. peddling the lies of hatred.

saying that somehow the legislation that would empower parents and give parents the right to know what their child is being educated with, know what they're being told, that somehow that is going to lead to banning of books. what they're afraid of is, they're afraid of a parent being able to come in, armed with the information of what is pg taught their children, armed with what is in the library and holding school boards accountable. holding their educators accountable. that is precisely what my democratic colleagues do not want to occur. they are afraid of the sunshine going into the classrooms because they know that after covid, the veil has been lifted on a corrupted system, that's been indoctrinating our children with racial division and hatred. parents are now awakened. they have seen what has been occurring behind the vail. because the veil was lifted.

my colleagues go around peddling the fears of banned books, fleetly inaccurately trying to claim that books were banned in duvall county that weren't banned. books that were either not ordered, when in fact there are on average about 13 books about rosa parks in every elementary school in duvall county. that's the truth. nobody wants to pull books about rosa parks. nobody wants to pull books about roberto clemente. but if there is legislation passed to make sure that we stop the ridiculousness of books being put in front of our kids and then people go, let's pull books and look at it to make sure what's in it, then they decide to put those books back when they pass muster, that's what my colleagues want to say are being banned. what they do not want to talk

about are the books that my colleagues -- my colleague from south carolina just talked about. they don't want to talk about "flamer: a graphic -- about" flamer ," a graphic book about young boys performing sexual acts at summer camp. they don't want to talk about that. who does? a bunch of fringe leftist groups that want to stick that stuff in our schools for for our kids to have to read? or how about "this book is gay," a book containing instruction ops, quote, the ins and outs of gay sex. this is what we want being put in the schools for our children? our democratic colleagues do not want you, the american people, you the parents, to know this. that's what this is about. my democratic colleagues do not want parents to know that information. they don't. they have a bill in front of

them that literally gives parents the right to know that and they are opposing it and opposing it with force. now to my colleagues who say, well, this is sticking the federal government into the tent of local government. i say to them, well, welcome to the club of actually being concerned about federal government overreach. i agree. so i hope they will support my amendment then that would strike all the language and block grant the dollars to the states. but they don't want to do that, ladies and gentlemen, because they want to meddle. they just want to meddle the way they want to. they don't want to have a clean elimination of the department of education. i support my colleague, thomas massey's bill to do that. my democratic colleagues do not. my democratic colleagues will not support a block grant to states. because they want to meddle. they want to interfere. they just don't want parents to know the truth. and that is a dirty little secret. with that, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back.

the gentlewoman from indiana reserves. the gentlewoman from pennsylvania is recognized. ms. scanlon: i want to take a minute, not even a minute, to correct a couple of statements that were made. first of all i request unanimous consent to insert into the record and article from jacks today entitled, duvall schools to keep 73 diverse and inclusive books out of the classroom. also for not the it's for time my colleague mentioned the book "flamer" which he described as a graphic book about a child at summer camp in. fact it's a graphic novel which is kind of a trend that he may not be familiar with. and with that, i would yield two minutes to the gentleman from california, mr. correa. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. correa: thank you, ma'am. mr. speaker, all of us can agree that the most precious gift god can give us is our children. i'm a parent to four children. four children all attended

public education, k-12. as a parent i was active, participated in local school board meetings. teacher-parent conferences, involved with local p.t.a. because it was my responsibility to know what was going on in my children's life, especially education life. all of us here as a americans regardless of party affiliation can agree that protecting our chirp is one of our most important responsibles here in congress. and i agree with my colleagues across the aisle we need to protect all students, especially i would say undocumented students, some of the most vulnerable students in our society. last night i introduced an amendment that would bar any local educational agency, state agency, elementary school, secondary school, from requesting our disclosing a

student's immigration status. schools i would say are the one place in our society that students should feel safe. my amendment would advance this principle, would have said that our students are safe in their schools. mr. speaker, if my colleagues last night across the aisle would have voted for my amendment, then they would have voted for safety for all of our students in school. yet, they didn't do that. and by failing to vote for my amendment, they left our most vulnerable students hanging. mr. speaker, i yield. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentlewoman from pennsylvania reserves. the gentlewoman from indiana is recognized. mrs. houchin: i yield four minutes to the gentleman from missouri, mr. alford. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for four minutes.

mr. alford: thank you, mr. speaker. how dare they. how dare they conflate the names of two great people. nelson mandela and rosa parks, books about these heroes and conflate them about books about sexual mom us cuety of our children. how care they. but i'm start -- how dare they. but i'm starting to see in my short time in congress how this game is played. it's to conflate and confuse and baffle the american people. we're here to set the record straight. mr. speaker, if one good thing came out of covid, when our kids were forced to stay home is that parents saw exactly, exactly what they were learn, what they were being taught. the parents didn't like it. the parents raised their voices and because of that they were condemned as domestic terrorists. that was wrong, mr. speaker. that was just plain wrong. as a father myself, look, i

understand, i understand that our children are the most important thing in our lives. and it's our job to put them in a position to have a better life than we did. raising and rearing children to be smart, capable, contributing members of society should be our number one objective. and of course we all know this stars at home. but make no mistake, it does continue at our schools. and in our classrooms. schools are where our children spend the majority of their childhood shaping the ideas, building the relationships, building the friendships they'll have for a lifetime. this is exactly, exactly why parents deserve a seat at the table and this legislation provides this seat. parents have a right to know what's being taught. they have a right to be heard. they have a right to see how a school is spending their taxpayer dollars and most importantly, they have a right to protect their children's

privacy. when my republican colleagues and i won back this chamber, we swore, we swore to the voters and constituents that we were going to defend these rights. the parents bill of rights isn't the only step but it's a great first step. this legislation ensures curriculum information, books, reading materials, learning stan ardz are made public to parches. parents now have an open line of communication with teachers and school officials. they will not be condemned as terrorists. folks, this is common sense. to my good friends on the other side of the aisle this shouldn't be a debate. but then again i never thought i'd have to stand here weeks ago and have to condemn socialism. that they voted for. i never thought i'd have to stand here and defend the rights of a baby that survived abortion. and yet we had to do that. i thought that was commonsense as well and i was wrong.

mr. speaker, this is not about changing history. this is about preserving our future as a nation. this is not about banning books. this is about promoting transparency. it is our job, it is our responsibility to protect our children from the evils being taught in some classrooms across the country. not all. i'm proud to be a voice for the parents of missouri, for our district and across this great land. and i'm here to tell you, mr. speaker, it is time to take a stand. it is time to take a stand for our children. it is time to take a stand for our families. it is time to take a stand for our schools. and it is time to take a stand for our great nation. i urge my colleagues to vote yes on the rule package of this critical piece of legislation and with that, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentlewoman from indiana reserves. the gentlewoman from pennsylvania is recognized. ms. scanlon: i yield two minutes

and the gentlewomaner, from connecticut, mrs. hayes. mrs. hayes: i rise in opposition to this rule and underlying bill, h.r. 5. i look around this chamber and i think that arguably i spent more time in the classroom than anyone in this chamber. i was a classroom teacher for 15 years. ran before and after school programs. and summer programs. i led programs for parent engagement. i'm also the mother of four children. one of them is a public school student right now. as a teacher and a parent, i know that parent-teacher partnerships are critical to students' success. i know that when a teacher can reach out to parents and discuss challenging curriculum and come up with strategies to support their child, students thrive. i know when parents can reach out to their child's teacher and ask questions and voice their concerns or even more offer their personal perspectives, students benefit. but this bill does not do that. it does not promote parent-teacher partnerships.

it just creates division in our school at a time when both parents and teachers need all the help they can get. i have served on curriculum committees. it is always required that there be a parent representative on those committees. these are the committees that select the books that will be read in classes. teachers don't arbitrarily do that. i have addressed my local board of education and there was always time for public comment and parents were encouraged to join. parents of varying opinions were asked to show up and give their input on what we were doing in our schools. i have gone to a student's home because their parent could not attend a parent-teacher conference, but i knew they cared deeply about their child and wanted to have conversation was me. after school on my own time i reached out to connect with those parents. that's what teachers do. all of this misguided direction from people on the floor who have very little information about what actually happens on

the ground level, during covid it wasn't that parent -- teachers were exposed and parents got an inside look what happens in the classrooms. the best teachers are always inviting parents into the classroom. our 16-hour markup -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. ms. scanlon: additional 30 seconds. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. mrs. hayes: and our 16-hour markup committee democrats offered strategies for parent engagement. we offered amendments to provide videoconference so parents could be involved. we offered legislation to say that kids should have healthy meals in school so they could be ready to learn. every single one of them were rejected. this politics over parents legislation creates unnecessary reporting requirements in our schools and diverts resources. i am a parent. and this bill actually removes my rights as a parent at the local level and places them in the hands of congress. i encourage my colleagues to vote no on this bill. listen to what parents are saying. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentlelady's time has expired. mrs. hayes: diverse curriculum, diverse books. all students, not just some. but all students. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman no longer is recognized. the gentlewoman from pennsylvania reserves. the gentlewoman from indiana is recognized. miss houchin: reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from indiana reserves. the gentlewoman from pennsylvania is recognized. ms. scanlon: mr. speaker i yield two minutes to the gentleman from ohio, mr. landsman. mr. landsman: t thafng you, mr. speaker. i rise in opposition to the rule and this very controversial, very dangerous bill, h.r. 5. i am a former teacher. i am a parent. my wife and i have two children right now in public schools. this is the life we lead. this is our reality right now. i can tell you that i offered several amendments because i know what i'm talking about. one of the amendments was to protect our schools and teachers

and parents from unnecessary, awful, very expensive litigation. that is what this is going to do. this is going to drown our school districts and our schools and teachers and maybe our parents in lawsuit after lawsuit after lawsuit. i also, because everyone in my district believes in local control. so one amendment just said, hey, if you are a believer in local control, allow school districts to opt out of this very dangerous bill. that's a local control issue. that amendment and the other amendment was not ruled in order. so there will be no vote on it. i believe that this government, that they are proposing, has become too big for most americans. it is too intrusive. they are ban they are bannining books.

if they want to help invest in preschool, invest in childcare, prenatal care, stable housing, afterschool programs, invest in all kinds of things that are going to help children and parents stop telling us what to do with our lives and with our children. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentlewoman from pennsylvania reserves. the gentlewoman from min is recognized. mrs. houchin: mr. chairman, i yield two minutes to the gentleman from texas, mr. roy. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. roy: thank you mr. speaker. i thank the gentlelady from indiana. again, the facts are completely irrelevant to my colleagues on the other side of the aisle. completely irrelevant. introduced in the record a while ago a story from december, again, trying to perpetuate this myth about book banning. again the context here matters that we are talking about legislation in this body to just ensure that parents know what's in the libraries and what's in the curriculum. it does nothing more. yet that's the great offense.

but in trying to perpetuate this myth about federal perpetuation of so-called book banning, let me be clear, yes, some local jurisdictions are removing certain books, absolutely. and god bless them for it. books about explicit sex acts. let that hang out over the chamber. no. i do not want america's children to have to be subjected to that kind of terrible indoctrination in the schools. absolutely not. parents should be empowered to stop it. but instead, they want to perpetuate this myth. the facts are true. february 17, 2023, i will ask this be introduced into the record. the books about roberto clemente and hank aaron are among approximately 10,000 books that have been approved through the new state required book review

process. the fact is there was a purchase of 1300 books from perfection learning. current effort to review all media center and classroom library books required under state law was reviewed, completed. those books were not banned. as i said earlier, there are on average 13 to 14 books about rosa parks per school in duval county. those are the facts. that is the truth. this is a complete misrepresentation designed to scare people when we want to empower parents and provide sunshine for the american people to protect their kids. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from indiana reserves. the gentlewoman from pennsylvania is recognized. ms. scanlon: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield 2 1/2 minutes to the gentleman from colorado, mr. neguse. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. neguse: thank you, mr. speaker. i thank the gentlewoman and my colleague from pennsylvania. like many of my colleagues here in this chamber, i am blessed to be a parent.

my wife and i are proud parents of a 4-year-old daughter. we are deeply invested in her education and ensuring that she has the ability to be able to live her dreams. you can imagine my surprise and my disappointment when i learned that the republicans, colleagues on our side of the aisle, would be spending time on this bill the politics over parents act. surprised because for so many years my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have beknowned the role of the federal government in public education. they have lectured us about local control time and time again. yet here they stand with a bill to impose a variety of unfunded mandates on school districts across the country and eroding local control, as my colleague from ohio, mr. landsman, articulated. and disappointment because these unfunded mandates are so

disconnected from the real concerns and fears that parents in my district back home in colorado are experiencing every day. just yesterday the denver metro area in colorado was frozen with fear at the news of another incident of gun violence in one of our schools. east high school. two teachers were wounded. one of them critically. this came on the heels just two weeks ago of the tragic death of a 16-year-old student at east high. as a result of gun violence. our prayers, our thoughts, our hearts go out to him, his family, his friends all of students and parents who have been impacted in just the last 14 days. as yet another incident of gun violence tears our community apart. that's what parents in colorado are concerned about. they are concerned about their

students, their children coming home from school alive. they are concerned about the ability of children to be able to get a quality education and not go hungry. to not be poisoned by lead pipes and some of thedy plap dated buildings -- some of the dilapidated buildings. mr. speaker, that's what they are concerned about. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. neguse: additional 30 seconds. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for additional 30 seconds. mr. neguse: i thank the speake. that's what parents, families are concerned about back in colorado. so i would urge my colleagues to oppose this rule so that we can get on to the business of addressing those concerns that i have articulated on behalf of parents and families across our great country. with that, mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman yields back. the gentlewoman from pennsylvania reserves. and the gentlewoman from indiana is recognized. mrs. houchin: mr. speaker, i would like to make a few comments. we have heard about things embedded in this legislation. i want to reiterate this is a bill that says the parents have the right to know what their children are being taught. parents have the right to be heard. parents have the right to see the school budget. and spending. parents have the right to their child's -- protect their child's privacy. parents have a right to keep their children safe. we have also heard our colleagues talk about how well school boards work, and for large swaths of the country i'm sure that's true. but just because things work well in someplaces does not mean they work well in all places. tell that to mr. scott smith, who was arrested at a school board meeting in loudoun county, virginia, when he questioned whether the school might be covering up his daughter's sexual assault by a gernd fluid

student. we heard this bill pits parents and teachers against each other. we have heard a lot of those types of comments. the very fact that they characterize this bill as a pitting someone against another when i have just stated the facts of what is in the bill should be a red flag. we did sit through -- i did, sit through a 16-hour markup until early hours of 2:30 or 3 a.m. in the morning. we did hear dozens of amendments. but what i heard were dozens of chances to empower bureaucrats over empowering parents. republicans are proud to stand up for parents on behalf of students. this is not politics over parents. its parents over politicians and bureaucrattings. we want -- bureaucrats. we want what parents want, teach reading, write, and math with transparency. parents want to be involved and informed without having to file

200 freedom of information requests only to be sued by the n.e.a. and school board such as nicole solace. mr. chairman, i'm going to reserve my time for closing. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from indiana reserves. the gentlewoman from pennsylvania is recognized. ms. scanlon: thank you. among the many issues that we should be dealing with here, mr. speaker, if we defeat the previous question i will offer an amendment to the rule to provide for consideration of a resolution that states the house's unjackson leeing respono defend and preserve social security and medicare for generations to come and affirm it is the position of the house to reject any cuts to these vital programs. mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my amendment into record along with any extraneous material immediately prior to the vote on the previous question. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. scanlon: mr. speaker, social security and medicare are foundational to our

constituents' economic and health security. republicans have demanded unconscionable cuts to these programs in exchange for raising the debt limit and paying our nation's bills. some of my republican colleagues have recently changed their rhetoric and now say they don't want to eviscerate social security and medicare benefits, so i'm offering my friends the opportunity to back up their newfound position. with that i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from pennsylvania reserves. the gentlewoman from indiana is recognized. mrs. houchin: does the gentlewoman from pennsylvania have anymore speakers? ms. scanlon: we are prepared to close. i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from indiana reserves. the gentlewoman from pennsylvania is recognized. mrs. houchin: how much time do i have? the speaker pro tempore: 6 1/2 minutes. mrs. houchin: thank you. as a member of the rules committee i do feel compelled i do feel compelled to comment

on the process for this rule and bill. i'm astounded that once again the republican majority has report couched an imbalanced rule. ms. scanlon: this rule makes in order every single germane republican amendment. but for democratic amendments it blocked 28 of he 31germane amendments. that's a 90% suppression rate of the ideas submitted by the minority party all of which were compliant with the trials of house but have been blocked by republicans from being debated or voted upon. the rules committee republicans complained about amendment disparities during the democratic majority saying, quote, there's no context in which such a stifling of minority voices is consistent with the designs of the institution or in the best interest of the american people we represent. end quote.

that was said after we made in order 30% of their amendments. speaker mccarthy actually promised both sides, quote, more openness, more opportunity for ideas to win at the end of the day. mr. speaker, that promise has been broken. this republican majority know theirs bills fail to address real problems so they continue to block our ode goode ideas from coming to the floor rather than actually debating them. it's wrong and they need to do better. mr. speaker, with respect to h.r. 5, it does not promote the rights of parents. but it does open the door to censoring teachers and textbooks, threatening the rights of students and their parent, imposing costly burdens on our neighborhood schools they cannot afford an infringing core american values including freedom of speech and idea. it puts right wing politics over parents and would let a noisy

minority push their own agenda and impose their beliefs of what children can or should read or learn onto all parents and students. our schools carry out important responsibilities of educating the next generation of americans. and all children deserve access to an equitable and well-rounded theation equips them for the future. we should give our schools the resources to help young people feel supported and ready to reach their full potential. we should not create hostile environments for our most marginalized students. wesh not pit parents against each other and against educators. and we shouldn't drive wedges between families and their neighborhood schools. i want to do better than that for our kids and i hope others today want the same. mr. speaker, again i urgekimy colleagues to oppose the previous question and the rule and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentlewoman from indiana is recognized.

mrs. houchin: thank you, mr. speaker. i'm prepared to close and i yield myself the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. mrs. houchin: we made a commitment to america and delivering for parents is an important part of that process. we must empower parents to be in the driver's seat with respect to their children's education. this isn't about banning books or politicizing education. how parents having a right to be informed about and involved in decisions regarding their own children's academic experiences being misconstrued by some is lost on me. we did have a robust committee markup on this bill that i was part of. we were in committee hearing amendments and debating amendments on that bill in the markup from 10:00 in the morning until 2:30 in the morning. and in those many amendments, what i heard over and over again was, there's nothing to see here. and that this bill is not necessary. and that most schools in america

are doing just fine. well, most schools, mr. speaker are not all schools. our parents have a fundamental right to know what's happening in the classroom without having to file a public records request to find it. and if things are going so well that our colleagues across the aisle believe that this bill is not needed, then they should stand and join republicans in support of parents across america. i urge my colleagues to support this rule and the underlying bill. mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time and move the previous question on the resolution. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the question is ordered on the previous question on the resolution. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair the ayes have it. ms. scanlon: reqst the yeas and nays, please. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. the favoring a vote on the yeas and nays will rise. a sufficient numbe having risen, the yeas and nays are

ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceings on this question will be postponed. pursuant to clause 12-a of rule 1, the chair declares the house in recess for a period of 15 host: welcome back to washington

journal and we are joined by republican congressman from virginia bob good. he is on the budget and education labor committee. nice to have you. guest: great to be here this morning. host: your views on the parents bills of rights act. guest: i am from virginia and virginia has been the center of the parents debate and parents involved in education and one of the big reasons why glenn youngkin is a part of virginia,

-- there is a big difference between democrats and republicans on education because republicans believe that american -- parents have the major part of raising their children and parents should have a major input. that is why glenn youngkin is governor in virginia and this has been in the works for 1.5 years, the education and workforce committee last term and this term and this is giving parents -- protecting basic rights for parents to protect them from intrusive federal governments. host: let's take a look at the highlights of that bill. i will put it oth screen. at must provide a public copy of any revision to the state's academic standard and teachers should have two in

person meetings for parents -- with parents everyear and parents have us get -- ac -- a say when schoo develop private policies and they must consent if any mental health or substance abuse screening takes place. a lot of people would say, why not leave this to the states and at a local level, why make this a federal top-down situation? guest: there are many insistence where -- instances where parents rights have been trampled upon. you saw parents being very concerned about what their kids are being talked, whether it is anti-american or a racist ideology. they are concerned about transgender policies. there are concerned about crime reports be suppressed. -- being suppressed.

i have heard insistence about parent concerns not being addressed. i attended many school board meetings to encourage parents to be involved in education and to make sure they hold school boards accountable and this is as -- host: if you like to call in, you can do so by party affiliation. (202) 748-8000, republicans, (202) 748-8001 and independents (202) 748-8002. during the debate on that bill, you introduced an amendment --