DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION WITHDRAWS PROPOSED K-12 RULE

Washington, D.C. – Yesterday, Rep. Todd Rokita and Rep. Virginia Foxx issued the following statement after the Department of Education withdrew its proposed “supplement, not supplant” regulation.  Rep. Rokita is the Chairman of the Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Subcommittee and Rep. Foxx is the Chairwoman of the Education and the Workforce Committee.  The Department of Education’s proposed rule would have changed the longstanding requirement that federal funds supplement—not supplant—state and local funds, in stark contrast to the written intent of the Every Student Succeeds Act.  Red Tape Rollback is Rep. Rokita’s signature regulatory reform program, which to date has secured over 60 de-regulation victories on behalf of Hoosiers.

“This is a significant victory for students, parents, and school leaders across the country. The department’s regulatory scheme would have violated the law and unleashed serious harm on some of our nation’s poorest schools and communities. While this is encouraging news, we should never have faced the threat of this misguided regulatory proposal. We look forward to working closely with the new administration to ensure recent K-12 education reforms are implemented in a manner that respects the letter and intent of the law.”

This withdrawal is the result of oversight efforts by Rep. Rokita and other members of the Education and the Workforce Committee to ensure that Congressional intent is honored during Every Student Succeeds Act rulemaking.  Similar efforts to fight government overreach and bureaucracy are highlighted in the Red Tape Rollback Reports.  These reports feature victories by Rep. Rokita’s office against burdensome regulations on behalf of Hoosier workers and businesses.

Rep. Rokita chaired a hearing of the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education in September of 2016 focusing on the proposed “supplement, not supplant” rule.