January 24, 2019

Castro Joins the House Committee on Education and Labor, Assigned 3rd Committee for 116th Congress

WASHINGTON—Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, joined the House Committee on Education and Labor as a third Committee assignment for the 116th Congress effective immediately. Chairman Castro issued the following statement:

“I’m honored to join the House Committee on Education and Labor, and grateful to Speaker Pelosi and the Steering and Policy Committee for granting me a third Committee for the 116th Congress. Just as there is a transportation infrastructure of roads and highways that help get you where you want to physically go, there is also an Infrastructure of Opportunity that will help Americans achieve their dreams. This includes strong education systems, well-paying jobs, a sturdy health-care system and opportunities for economic achievement—all of which I hope to work on strengthening as a new Member on this Committee,” said Chairman Castro. “I look forward to working with Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) and all the other Members on this Committee—on both sides of the aisle-- to help all Americans achieve equal opportunities, hold the Administration accountable when they fall short, and most importantly continue to strengthen the Infrastructure of Opportunity that makes the American dream still possible.”

Background: As a founding Pre-K Caucus chair in Congress, Congressman Castro has been a champion for fostering bipartisan and comprehensive solutions to examine early education, explore best practice programming and develop policy recommends to improve and expand early education. In previous Congresses, the Congressman Castro introduced the Pre-K for USA Act that would allow local education agencies and governments to apply directly to federal government for grants to develop and expand high-quality pre-K programs, and he plans on reintroducing for the 116th Congress.

Starting in 2010, Congressman Castro helped organize a book drive with Literacy San Antonio and SA Youth, which led to the creation of SA Reads, a project of literacy in San Antonio to successfully teach children to read by training and inspiring teachers to use science-based reading instructions. The Congressman will continue pushing these issues as part of his new Committee assignment.

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