On Tuesday, Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson praised the passage of a motion to go to conference on a bill to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). The motion to go to conference, which was passed by the House without opposition, is the next step towards finalizing ESEA, which was last reauthorized in 2001, and is the primary law which governs K-12 education in the United States.

“Today is a positive step forward on education reform,” said Simpson. “I have heard from teachers, parents, administrators, and of course students about how we can update our K-12 education system. I am very pleased the House has acted to go to conference and I look forward to analyzing the conferees’ work as they ultimately craft a final bill with the Senate.”

Both the House and Senate passed individual versions of ESEA reauthorization in July. The Senate also agreed on a motion to go to conference. 

“While No Child Left Behind was not without its flaws, it certainly gave stakeholders an evaluation of which education reforms work and which simply do not. This conference committee is a unique opportunity for Congress work together to advance solutions for one of the most important issues in our country – education.” 

Last Friday, Congressman Simpson signed a letter to the House and Senate chairmen and ranking members with jurisdiction over education reform, urging them to finish their work and complete conference negotiations to reauthorize ESEA as soon as possible.

The first conference committee between House and Senate conferees is today.