NOTICIAS

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) today hailed the Senate’s passage of the Reinforcing Education Accountability in Development (READ) Act, legislation that would strengthen accountability for existing U.S. programs to improve basic education in developing countries.
 
The bill, which Rubio and Durbin introduced in March, will head to President Trump to be signed into law.
 
“This bill will increase access to basic education for millions of children around the world, particularly girls, while also ensuring Americans’ tax dollars are being used efficiently,” said Rubio. “The United States plays a key role in helping countries eliminate barriers to children’s access to education, which fosters a more prosperous, stable society. I urge the president to sign our bill into law without delay.”   
 
“I’m proud that the Senate stood up for the future of children around the world by passing the READ Act, which will help unleash the potential of children across the globe and arm them with the necessary tools to break the cycles of poverty, violence, and extremism,” said Durbin. “Providing children, particularly girls, with a quality education empowers them to improve the lives of their families and change the course of nations.”
 
Around the world, approximately 59 million primary school-age children do not attend school. The READ Act would promote sustainable and quality basic education for children in developing or war-torn countries; develop a comprehensive U.S. strategy to promote basic education by addressing key barriers to schooling, particularly for girls; improve coordination, transparency, and accountability of U.S. basic education programs; and require an annual report to Congress of a comprehensive analysis of U.S. government programs.
 
U.S. Representatives Nita Lowey (D-NY) and Dave Reichert (R-WA) introduced the companion bill in the House, which passed it in January.