Equity and Excellence in American Education Act of 2015
Latest action · Mar 23, 2016 Referred to the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedNov 16, 2015
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Equity and Excellence in American Education Act of 2015
This bill authorizes the Department of Education (ED) to establish and administer several new grant programs.
ED shall carry out the Equity and Excellence Initiative to provide grants to states to match each state's enhanced investment in meaningful educational opportunities for children who attend targeted schools. A "targeted school" is a public elementary or secondary school at which a specified percentage of students: (1) are eligible for free or reduced-priced lunch; (2) qualify as limited English proficient; or (3) are racial or ethnic minorities, Indian, or migratory. Schools may use these grant funds to implement systems-based reforms and initiatives to enhance student achievement. A state that receives grant funds must meet specified maintenance of effort requirements.
If ED determines that a state has failed to invest sufficient resources to create meaningful educational opportunities for all children attending targeted schools in that state, ED is authorized, through the Educating Every Child Initiative, to make grants directly to local educational agencies for distribution to targeted schools. A state in which targeted schools receive grant funds must meet specified funding obligations with respect to those schools.
ED is also authorized to establish the Equitable and Sustainable Fiscal Policy Program to provide technical assistance grants to support state fiscal reform efforts aimed at ensuring meaningful educational opportunities for all children.
The bill establishes various reporting requirements for ED and for grant recipients. ED must develop accountability metrics to measure grant performance.
Cosponsors 35
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Nov 16, 2015 to Nov 29, 2016; 12 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-CA | Barbara Lee | Original | Nov 16, 2015 |
| D-PA | Chaka Fattah | Original | Nov 16, 2015 |
| D-MD | Donna F. Edwards | Original | Nov 16, 2015 |
| D-CA | Jerry McNerney | Original | Nov 16, 2015 |
| D-WA | Jim McDermott | Original | Nov 16, 2015 |
| D-MD | John K. Delaney | Original | Nov 16, 2015 |
| D-CA | Judy Chu | Original | Nov 16, 2015 |
| D-MN | Keith Ellison | Original | Nov 16, 2015 |
| D-OH | Marcia L. Fudge | Original | Nov 16, 2015 |
| D-CA | Mark Takano | Original | Nov 16, 2015 |
| D-AZ | Raúl M. Grijalva | Original | Nov 16, 2015 |
| D-TX | Ruben Hinojosa | Original | Nov 16, 2015 |
| D-MP | Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan | Nov 30, 2015 | |
| D-MI | John Conyers, Jr. | Feb 1, 2016 | |
| D-PA | Matt Cartwright | Feb 1, 2016 | |
| D-WA | Rick Larsen | Feb 1, 2016 | |
| D-CT | Rosa L. DeLauro | Feb 1, 2016 | |
| D-NY | Yvette D. Clarke | Feb 1, 2016 | |
| D-RI | David N. Cicilline | Feb 2, 2016 | |
| D-OH | Tim Ryan | Feb 2, 2016 | |
| D-IL | Janice D. Schakowsky | Feb 9, 2016 | |
| D-MI | Sander M. Levin | Feb 9, 2016 | |
| D-WI | Mark Pocan | Feb 10, 2016 | |
| D-OH | Marcy Kaptur | Feb 23, 2016 | |
| D-TX | Al Green | May 10, 2016 | |
| D-IL | Danny K. Davis | May 13, 2016 | |
| D-CA | Eric Swalwell | May 23, 2016 | |
| D-CA | Linda T. Sánchez | May 23, 2016 | |
| D-TX | Sheila Jackson Lee | May 25, 2016 | |
| D-CA | Zoe Lofgren | Jun 8, 2016 | |
| D-FL | Alcee L. Hastings | Jun 13, 2016 | |
| D-CA | Grace F. Napolitano | Jun 13, 2016 | |
| D-TX | Eddie Bernice Johnson | Jul 8, 2016 | |
| D-CA | Tony Cárdenas | Sep 8, 2016 | |
| D-TN | Steve Cohen | Nov 29, 2016 |
Committees 2
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Education and Workforce Committee | Referred Nov 16, 2015 |
| Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Subcommittee | Referred Mar 23, 2016 | |
| House | Oversight and Government Reform Committee | Referred Nov 16, 2015 |
Actions 4
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Mar 23, 2016Referred to the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education.
- Nov 16, 2015Introduced in House
- Nov 16, 2015Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR H8227)
- Nov 16, 2015Referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
In the Congressional Record 1
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| House | Debate and remarks H8227 | Michael M. Honda D-CA | Nov 16, 2015 |
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 161, no. 168, November 16, 2015, page H8241.
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To create an equitable and excellent education system in the United States so that every child, regardless of race, ethnicity, social class, or State of residence, can receive a high-quality, academically rigorous education in a local public school.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Equity and Excellence in American Education Act of 2015
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Education.
- Academic performance and assessments
- Budget process
- Education
- Education of the disadvantaged
- Education programs funding
- Educational technology and distance education
- Elementary and secondary education
- Foreign language and bilingual programs
- Language arts
- Minority education
- Performance measurement
- School administration
- Special education
- State and local finance
- Teaching, teachers, curricula
- Vocational and technical education
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Nov 16, 2015Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
