Senator Coons introduces bipartisan bill to strengthen parent-school partnerships

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) have introduced the Family Engagement in Education Act to help schools and families work together to support learning and raise student achievement.

Research shows that increasing parental engagement in schools enhances student success in the classroom, improves attendance, and reduces the dropout rate. The Family Engagement in Education Act promotes effective family engagement strategies and programs at the national, state, and local levels to ensure that all students are on track to be career and college-ready. This bicameral, bipartisan legislation would double education resources dedicated to family engagement from $145 million to $290 million, or 2 percent of total Title I funding.

“It’s no secret that students strive harder and perform better when families are actively engaged in their education,” Senator Coons said. “We can create a brighter future for Delaware’s youth by ensuring that educators, community organizations, and family members have the resources they need to work together effectively. This legislation will help more families become and remain a driving force in their children’s academic success.”

The Family Engagement in Education Act of 2013 seeks to target capacity-building and technical assistance for effective family engagement strategies where it is needed most, while encouraging state and school district flexibility to identify programming that works best for individual communities.

The legislation will build state and local capacity for effective family engagement in education by setting aside at least .3 percent of the state Title I allocation for family engagement in education activities, such as establishing statewide family engagement centers to continue and enhance the work that had been supported through the Parent Information Resource Centers.

Yvonne Johnson, the president of Delaware’s Parent Teacher Association, which seeks to encourage parental involvement in student’s education, is a supporter of the Family Engagement in Education Act.

“Delaware PTA is both honored and humbled to have our U.S. senator, Christopher Coons, sponsor the Family Engagement in Education Act,” Johnson said. “Family engagement is the bread and butter of our organization. It is at our roots and at the core of our work. Parent engagement can differ throughout our communities, but no matter what a family member is doing to be involved in a child’s education, it makes a difference. PTA has always promoted family engagement no matter how it looks. Whether a parent is helping a child with schoolwork, baking cookies, advocating for education issues, or helping out at a school, it has an impact on that child’s educational outcomes. Delaware PTA looks forward to working with Senator Coons and his staff to ensure parent and family engagement is a priority in all our schools. We appreciate Senator Coons efforts to promote effective parent and family engagement.”

The bicameral, bipartisan Family Engagement in Education Act is cosponsored in the Senate by Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Representatives Glenn Thompson (R-Penn.) and Carolyn McCarthy (D-N.Y.).

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Statement from Senator Coons on vote to fix increase of student loan interest rates

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) released the following statement on his vote to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to S.1238, the Keep Student Loans Affordable Act of 2013. The measure failed, 51-49.

“Allowing the cost of higher education in America to increase unabated — and denying access to that education to millions of Americans — is a self-defeating policy. A college degree has become a prerequisite for competition in the global marketplace, and we cannot afford to continue to handicap our workforce with unsustainable costs and crippling debt. If we are committed to putting Americans back to work and keeping our nation competitive, Congress must take action to reduce the student loan burden and expand access to higher education. Today we had an opportunity to take a step in the right direction by undoing the abrupt increase in federally subsidized Stafford Loan interest rates that went into effect last week and added about $1,000 per year in interest to the average student’s loan debt. It was only a temporary fix, but it would have provided welcome relief to students across the country struggling to invest in their own successful futures. Congress must find a way to work to pass a bipartisan, long-term solution that helps the 18,000 Delawareans with subsidized Stafford loans, and indeed all Americans, reach their full potential.”

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Carper, Coons, Carney announce $1 million for mental health and substance abuse services

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons, and Representative John Carney today announced a total of $1,000,000 in Department of Health and Human Services funding for the Delaware Department of Services to Children, Youth and Families (DSCYF) to create a sustainable statewide system of care for children with serious emotional disturbances; improve behavioral health outcomes; and increase access to services as well as youth/family involvement in their child’s mental health treatment.

“I believe parental and family involvement can make a huge difference in the life of a child,” Senator Carper said. “But sometimes, parents and family members need extra help and guidance to navigate the complex emotional and behavioral issues a child may have. This grant will support outreach to those families who need it the most.”

“Support from the community can mean all the difference for at-risk youth,” Senator Coons said. “The staff at the Department of Services to Children, Youth and Families works hard to help support strong families for Delaware’s children, and this grant will help them impact even more lives.”

“There is no substitute in a child’s life for a strong, involved family,” Congressman Carney said. “So many of the challenges that young people experience today would be easier to handle with the support and guidance of positive adult role models. This federal grant will help the Department of Services for Children, Youth, and Families support Delaware families and provide a more stable environment to keep children on the right path.”

The grant will help DSCYF improve its system in order to better meet the needs of Delaware’s children. The federal funding will be used, in part, to help DSCYF provide consultations and staff training for better engaging families in their children’s decision-making.

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Carper, Coons, Carney announce more than $2.8 million to improve wastewater treatment

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons, and Representative John Carney today announced a total of $2,838,000 in U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) funding to help Kent County make beneficial upgrades to its wastewater treatment system. The Rural Development loan will fund aeration system improvements that save energy and protect water quality in the Murderkill River Watershed.

“This loan, which will be used to improve wastewater treatment, is vital to health, safety and the environment in Kent County,” Senator Carper said. “Investment in these types of projects help protect the health of families up and down the First State, improve our environment, and expand communities’ economic opportunities – something I like to call a win-win-win.”

“Effective wastewater treatment is critical to the health of our communities and natural resources in Delaware,” Senator Coons said. “The Kent County Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility continues to be a leading service provider, recognized regionally and nationally for its operations excellence, innovative programming, and environmental stewardship. This important USDA funding will allow KCRWTF to further enhance the quality and efficiency of its treatment system, while reducing pollution in the surrounding Murderkill River Watershed.”

“This USDA loan is welcome news for Kent County,” said Congressman Carney. “As a result of the improvements to the county’s wastewater treatment facility, the Murderkill River Watershed will be cleaner, and Kent County will see important savings on its energy costs. I’m looking forward to the project getting underway and seeing the benefits it brings to this part of our state.”

The loan will allow the Kent County Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility to upgrade its aeration system, which removes nutrients from wastewater that is treated and then discharged into a tributary of the Murderkill River. Planned improvements will increase the system’s energy efficiency and reduce nutrient loading, an overaccumulation of nutrients that degrades water quality and habitat, in the Murderkill River Watershed.

The project also received an $11,442,000 USDA loan and a $6,918,700 Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control Clean Water Advisory Council Loan in 2010.

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Carper, Coons, Carney announce more than $380,000 for highway safety

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons, and Representative John Carney today announced two Department of Transportation grants totaling $381,196 for Delaware programs that encourage highway safety and reduce fatalities and injuries due to motor vehicle accidents.

“Delaware sees some of the heaviest traffic in the country flow through its corridors,” Senator Carper said. “That’s why its important to constantly look for ways to improve the safety and efficiency of our highways, and this grant will help us achieve these goals.”

“Each year, far too many Delawareans die or are injured as a result of not wearing a seat belt,” Senator Coons said. “Delaware has established strong highway safety policies and our law enforcement officials must have the resources they need to fully implement them on our roadways. This grant will help support the efforts of law enforcement to enforce commonsense safety regulations that prevent injury and save lives.”

“We’ve come a long way on seat belt use and road safety,” said Congressman Carney. “But every year, Delawareans die or are seriously injured when motorists don’t follow the laws we have in place. This funding will support the state’s highway safety programs and help our law enforcement officers ensure that driving in Delaware is as safe as possible.”

The grants, $346,910 for Occupant Protection and $34,286 for Motorcyclist Safety programs, were awarded to the Delaware Department of Safety and Homeland Security. The funding, authorized under MAP-21, Section 405, is awarded to states whose safety regulations meet established criteria in several designated categories. These grants will enhance the ability of Delaware law enforcement and the Office of Highway Safety to increase seat belt use through initiatives like its annual Click It or Ticket campaign, and strengthen motorcycle safety and awareness programs in the state.

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Carper, Coons, Carney announce more than $500,000 to boost preventative public health programs

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons, and Representative John Carney today announced a total of $503,931 in Department of Health and Human Services funding for the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services to support the state’s actions for preventing and controlling diabetes, heart disease, obesity and associated risk factors, and for promoting health in schools.

“Prevention is key to keeping our children healthy and driving down health care costs in the long run,” Senator Carper said. “Every small step Delaware schools take – providing nutritious choices and physical activities, along with offering regular health screenings – makes a difference in students’ overall health and this grant will help Delaware children be healthy and stay healthy.”

“The more we can do to help Delawareans stay healthy, the more we’re doing to save lives and reduce the cost of health care in our state,” Senator Coons said. “This award will support efforts to fight back against what are often preventable diseases that affect neighbors in every community in our state.”

“So many of the health issues that Delawareans face can be controlled or prevented completely by eating a healthy diet, getting regular exercise, and avoiding bad habits, such as smoking,” Congressman Carney said. “Prevention is critical, not just because it leads to better health outcomes, but because it reduces healthcare costs that are becoming burdensome for families, businesses, and the government. This grant is an investment that will reduce healthcare costs and help Delawareans lead healthier, more productive lives.”

The federal funding will help the state increase public health in an array of areas. To qualify, the state laid out strategies for:

Increasing adoption of healthy food service guidelines/nutrition standards;
Increasing adoption of physical education and physical activity in schools;
Increasing adoption of physical activity in early childhood education centers and worksites;
Increasing reporting of blood pressure and A1C measures, and as able, increased initiation of activities that promote clinical innovations, team-based care, and self-monitoring of blood pressure;
Increasing awareness of high blood pressure among patients;
Increasing awareness of pre-diabetes among people at high risk for Type 2 diabetes; and
Increasing participation in diabetes self-management education programs (officially recognized, accredited and/or licensed).

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Carper, Coons, Carney announce more than $129,000 for children’s psychological services, training

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons, and Representative John Carney today announced a total of $129,461 in Department of Health and Human Services funding for the Nemours A.I. duPont Hospital for Children to increase access to psychological services and to provide training to psychology interns.

“Parents from all over the region come to Delaware for the highly skilled pediatric doctors, nurses and staff at Nemours A.I. duPont Hospital for Children,” Senator Carper said. “This grant will expand the hospital’s reach when it comes to pediatric psychological services, providing care to those most vulnerable.”

“The specialized psychological needs of children require medical professionals who have received specialized training,” Senator Coons said. “Nemours A.I. duPont Hospital for Children provides an extraordinary level of specialized care, and this grant will help more children get the support and services they need.”

“Delaware is blessed to have the Nemours/A.I. DuPont Hospital in our state caring for the needs of so many of our children,” Congressman Carney said. “The expertise of A.I.’s doctors, nurses, and staff extends beyond caring for the physical needs of a child, to addressing their mental and psychological needs as well. This grant will give these medical professionals the support they need to help more Delaware children grow up happy and healthy.”

The grant will allow Nemours A.I. duPont Hospital for Children to increase access to psychological services for vulnerable populations, including children with chronic illness and children in medically underserved communities, through training psychology interns to provide culturally competent, collaborative care to underserved children and families in integrated care settings.

The project will train 21 psychology interns over a three-year period and will build upon Nemours’ previous grant-funded activities by increasing the number of interns trained, providing new didactic curriculum, expanding existing clinical training (evidence-based practices, primary care) and providing new clinical experience in integrated care teams, and using innovative technology.

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Senator Coons, colleagues, seek answers on NSA’s bulk data collection program

WASHINGTON – The recent public disclosures of secret government surveillance programs have exposed how secret interpretations of the USA PATRIOT Act have allowed for the bulk collection of massive amounts of data on the communications of ordinary Americans with no connection to wrong-doing. Reliance on secret law to conduct domestic surveillance activities raises serious civil liberty concerns and all but removes the public from an informed national security and civil liberty debate.

In order to foster that debate, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and 25 other senators — Republicans and Democrats — sent a letter asking Director of National Intelligence James Clapper to publicly provide information about the duration and scope of the program and provide examples of its effectiveness in providing unique intelligence, if such examples exist.

“We are concerned that by depending on secret interpretations of the PATRIOT Act that differed from an intuitive reading of the statute, this program essentially relied for years on a secret body of law,” the senators wrote in the letter. This and misleading statements by Intelligence officials have “prevented our constituents from evaluating the decisions that their government was making, and will unfortunately undermine trust in government more broadly. The debate that the President has now welcomed is an important first step toward restoring that trust.”

The senators expressed their concern that the program itself has a significant impact on the privacy of law-abiding Americans and that the PATRIOT Act could be used for the bulk collection of records beyond phone metadata. The PATRIOT Act’s “business records” authority can be used to give the government access to private financial, medical, consumer and firearm sales records, among others. In addition to raising concerns about the law’s scope, the senators noted that keeping the official interpretation of the law secret and the instances of misleading public statements from executive branch officials prevented the American people from having an informed public debate about national security and domestic surveillance.

The senators are seeking public answers to the following questions in order to give the American people the information they need to conduct an informed public debate.

How long has the NSA used PATRIOT Act authorities to engage in bulk collection of Americans’ records? Was this collection underway when the law was reauthorized in 2006?
Has the NSA used USA PATRIOT Act authorities to conduct bulk collection of any other types of records pertaining to Americans, beyond phone records?
Has the NSA collected or made any plans to collect Americans’ cell-site location data in bulk?
Have there been any violations of the court orders permitting this bulk collection, or of the rules governing access to these records? If so, please describe these violations.
Please identify any specific examples of instances in which intelligence gained by reviewing phone records obtained through Section 215 bulk collection proved useful in thwarting a particular terrorist plot.
Please provide specific examples of instances in which useful intelligence was gained by reviewing phone records that could not have been obtained without the bulk collection authority, if such examples exist.
Please describe the employment status of all persons with conceivable access to this data, including IT professionals, and detail whether they are federal employees, civilian or military, or contractors. ??

The senators signing the letter include: Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Mark Udall (D-Colo.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Dean Heller (R- Nev.), Mark Begich (D-Alaska), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Al Franken (D-Minn.), Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Max Baucus (D-Mont.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah).

The letter can be downloaded here: http://1.usa.gov/19CWpiG

United States Senate calls for stronger international commitment to sustaining peace in Democratic Republic of Congo

WASHINGTON – The United States Senate unanimously adopted a resolution this week calling on the United States, the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), regional stakeholders, and the international community to deepen their engagement in the pursuit of meaningful progress toward political reforms in the DRC and sustainable peace in the region. U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs, led the bipartisan resolution.

“The United States can and should be playing a stronger role in the international community’s efforts to achieve peace in the Great Lakes region, stop the human rights violations being committed against Congolese civilians, and promote the establishment of a democratic, accountable government in the Democratic Republic of Congo,” Senator Coons said. “In adopting this resolution, the Senate is voicing its support for the commitments made by the signatories to the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework, and urging the United States, regional partners, and others in the international community to do more to help those commitments take effect.”

The resolution welcomed the appointment of former Senator Russ Feingold as the United States’ Special Envoy to the Great Lakes region, and called on the Obama Administration to:

Support and strengthen international efforts to end conflict in the region;
Support accountability and justice for human rights violations;
Expand efforts to develop conflict-free and responsible mining practices;
Coordinate with international and regional partners to ensure unhindered access to life-saving humanitarian assistance;
Strengthen the commitment by the DRC and regional actors to end the threat posed by armed groups in the region; and
Mobilize and lend support to electoral reforms in the DRC with the goal of encouraging free, fair and credible elections in the near-term.

The resolution called on the government of Democratic Republic of Congo to:

Engage in meaningful and inclusive electoral reforms, and hold impartially administered local and provincial elections as soon as possible; and
Undertake significant security reforms to support lasting stability and renew efforts to disarm, demobilize, and reintegrate rebel troops while ensuring those rebels responsible for human rights violations are held accountable for their crimes.

The resolution also calls on the governments of the Great Lakes region of Africa to “immediately halt and prevent any and all forms of support to non-state armed groups.”

The resolution can be downloaded as a PDF here: http://www.coons.senate.gov/download/drc-resolution

Since April 2012, more than 650,000 people have been displaced by violence perpetuated by the M23 rebel group in North Kivu province, which has allegedly benefitted from the support of neighboring states. The crisis triggered by the M23 exacerbated human suffering in this war-torn region of Africa, where sexual and gender-based violence, as well as conflict minerals, have fueled decades of conflict driven by a vacuum of proper governance. Estimates show that more than 5.4 million people died from war-related causes in the DRC between 1998-2007 alone, making it the world’s deadliest documented conflict since World War II. At the national level, political instability in DRC persists in the aftermath of problematic and disputed elections in 2011.

The resolution was cosponsored by Senators Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Pat Leahy (D-Vt.), John McCain (R-Ariz.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.).

Senator Coons votes for historic immigration reform bill

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and cosponsor of the DREAM Act and seven additional bills that would modernize the nation’s immigration system, praised the Senate’s passage of the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act, a comprehensive immigration reform bill that makes important strides toward repairing America’s broken immigration system. The bill passed the Senate by a vote of 68 to 32.

“For a nation built by immigrants and the children of immigrants, this is an historic moment,” Senator Coons said. “For too long, America’s immigration system has fallen short of our shared values, failing to protect the basic rights of those seeking a fair opportunity to build a life here and contribute to our economy. The bill passed today will make our immigration system fairer and more humane. It will provide new opportunities for American-educated immigrants to pursue their ideas and innovations in the U.S. It will make extraordinary investments in the security of our borders. It is a balanced, bipartisan bill that will mean a more hopeful future for the next generation of Americans. I urge my colleagues in the House to take up this bill and seize this historic opportunity to build a modern immigration system that reflects America’s values and makes our country stronger.”

The Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act establishes a fair, earned pathway to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants already contributing to our country. The bill expedites immigration processes to clear backlogs, unite families, and reduce costly and unnecessary detention. It also reduces arbitrary requirements in the U.S. employment-based visa system and permanently authorizes programs, such as EB-5 and the new INVEST visa, which create American jobs through targeted investment of foreign capital.

Importantly, this bill will enable the U.S. to maintain its position of world-leading innovation by continuing to welcome the best and brightest scientists and engineers to our shores. An amendment proposed by Senator Coons and included in the Senate-passed bill will also create a STEM education and training fund to improve the science, technology, engineering, and math education of American children in schools across the country.

Eight other amendments proposed by Senator Coons were also incorporated in the final version of the bill. These include provisions to help protect the identity of individuals using E-Verify; end the dangerous practice of repatriating undocumented immigrants in the middle of the night; help the families of government employees killed abroad qualify for Special Immigrant Visas; streamline discovery procedures in immigration court; to require immigration officials to maintain and report information on immigrants in removal proceedings; ensure that legitimate asylum applicants receive timely work authorization; provide nondiscriminatory access to professional, commercial, and business licenses to qualified applicants; expand the Torture Victim Protection Act to include immigrants guilty of war crimes and genocide; limit the ability of immigration officials to target schools, hospitals, and places of worship for enforcement raids; and expedite the path to citizenship for combat veterans.

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