Dear Friends,

As a senior member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, improving education quality and access remain among my top priorities in Congress.  That’s why I’ve been working hard to improve legislation on the floor this week that reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) to help all students and recently introduced legislation to help us understand the educational needs of military students, improve teacher diversity, and teach social and emotional learning in our schools.  I will also be hosting a Student Financial Aid Workshop on March 11.  Please see below for more information.

In addition to education reform moving through the House, I continue to work across the aisle on issues important to our community and our nation.  Please take a moment to read what I’ve been doing on behalf of my constituents.  As always, don’t hesitate to contact me if you need assistance with a federal agency or if you have a legislative idea or comment.      

Warm Regards,  Congresswoman Susan Davis

Student Financial Aid Workshop in Chula Vista

Please join me and experts from the U.S. Department of Education at my Student Financial Aid Workshop taking place at Eastlake High School on Wednesday, March 11th at 6:00 pm. We will be discussing how to apply for federal financial aid, how to accept financial aid packages, and the best way to repay student loans after graduation.  The workshop will include a presentation from a U.S. Department of Education representative, as well as a question and answer portion to answer any questions you may have.  Event details are below.  RSVP here!

Day/Time:  Wednesday, March 11 at 6:00 pm

Location: Ruth Chapman Performing Arts Center
                Eastlake High School
                1120 Eastlake Parkway
                Chula Vista, CA 91915

Parking:  Free parking available next to the performing arts center.

Education Reform in the House

The House is currently debating H.R. 5, the Student Success Act, which would reauthorize ESEA.  As a former school board member in San Diego, I wanted to use this reauthorization as an opportunity to make positive changes to the federal government's role in education.  Instead, this effort will go down as a missed opportunity.  Rather than working together to address some of the problems with No Child Left Behind that all of us can agree on, such as ending the one-size-fits-all approach to school improvement, or updating the outdated and overly rigid definition of ‘annual yearly progress’, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have instead decided to reintroduce the same exact bill we voted on last year and which failed to secure a single Democratic vote.   

As the debate this week has shown, the source of this disagreement is clear.  The Majority believes we must ‘restore’ local control to our education system, but I am not exactly sure when ‘local control’ came to mean that we must prevent the federal government from having any meaningful role in overseeing how federal dollars are spent.  As H.R. 5 eliminates all of the critical elements essential to genuine accountability, I cannot support it and will urge my colleagues to do the same.  Watch my floor speech here.  While I will vote against the underlying bill, I am pleased that the House accepted language from my bill the Helping Military Children Succeed in School Act.  This language would create a military student identifier to provide the data needed to address the diverse challenges they face and track these students’ performance.  This data would then help educators identify areas of concern, develop best practices, and deploy targeted solutions to help military-connected students succeed. 

In addition to ESEA reauthorization, I recently introduced the Diverse Teacher Recruitment Act which would provide competitive grants to school districts to design and implement recruiting programs to bring teachers from underrepresented groups into the classroom.  Across the country, students of color make up 40 percent of the public high school population, yet teachers of color make up just 17 percent of the teaching force.  Only about 24 percent were males and fewer than two percent of teachers are African American males.  Addressing this issue, which exists in every state, is important in ongoing efforts to close the achievement gap because a more diverse teaching force could enhance the public school system and the experience and success of students.

Department of Defense Oversight

Earlier this month, President Obama released his budget request for Fiscal Year 2016 for the Department of Defense (DOD).  From now until late April, the House Armed Services Committee will hold dozens of hearings to analyze DOD’s request and to discuss critical policy issues impacting U.S. national security.   As I mentioned in last month’s e-news, I will continue to serve as Ranking Member on the Military Personnel Subcommittee.  I will also be on the Readiness Subcommittee.

Hearing topics so far this year include budgets for each of the military services, compensation reform, security in Europe, and discussion about the Administration’s proposed Authorization for Use of Military Force against the self-proclaimed Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).  Click here to watch my exchange with the former head of the Defense Intelligence Agency LTG Michael Flynn, USA (ret.) on ISIL’s threat to the region and how we should continue to respond.  HASC budget and policy hearings will continue into the spring, culminating in the House consideration of the National Defense Authorization Act in late April or early May.

Stopping LGBT Discrimination for Jury Service

The federal government already prohibits juror discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, and economic status.  Because of the lack of protections for LGBT jurors, I introduced the Juror Non-Discrimination Act (H.R. 864) to prohibit a person from being removed from a jury because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.  Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) introduced companion legislation in the Senate.

Last year, the 9th Circuit Court ruled removal of individuals from juries based on sexual orientation or gender identity to be unconstitutional.  In 2012, a San Diego Superior Court judge ruled that prosecutors illegally dismissed at least one juror based on real or perceived sexual orientation. While California law prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation, I believe it is time to bring this common sense protection to LGBT jurors nationwide. 

Combating Human Trafficking

In late January, the House approved ten bills to help combat human trafficking. The bills enhance law enforcement efforts, increase training to better identify signs of human trafficking, and look at ways to improve current practices.  I was proud to support these measures.

Sadly, incidents of human trafficking are still prevalent throughout the world.  In fact, a recent report by the Urban Institute studied eight cities in America and singled out San Diego as a leader in gang activity surrounding prostitution.  This legislative package will improve efforts of the federal government and help our communities combat the exploitation of people, especially children.

• H.R. 181 – Provides assistance to state and local law enforcement to strengthen the investigation and prosecution of sex trafficking.  It also bolsters victims’ support programs to help them restore their lives.
• H.R. 398 – Provides evidence-based training for health care professionals to help them identify the signs of human trafficking.
• H.R. 460 – Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to train DHS personnel to better detect, deter and prevent human trafficking.
• H.R. 468 – Increases opportunities for nonprofit private agencies to provide services to runaway and homeless youths, who can become victims of trafficking.
• The remainder of the bills would coordinate international efforts and engage in research to ensure that best practices are used and updated to stop human trafficking.