3-26-2016 Rokita Report
Mar 26, 2016 Issues: Congressional Issues, Defense and National Security, Education
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Dear Fellow Hoosiers, Thank you for the opportunity to update you on the work of the 114th Congress. I trust this finds you and your family well, as we work together to bring Hoosier common sense to Washington. For daily updates, please take a moment to "Like" my Facebook page by clicking here In this week's Rokita Report
Remembering Deputy Koontz On Sunday March 20, Howard County Sherriff's Deputy Carl Koontz was killed in the line of duty. Deputy Koontz and Sgt. Jordan Buckley were serving an arrest and search warrant when they were both shot. Sgt. Buckley has been released from the hospital and is recovering. Unfortunately, Deputy Koontz made the ultimate sacrifice in his work to protect his community. My thoughts and prayers are with the family of Deputy Koontz during this difficult time. This week, I spoke on the House floor to share with my colleagues and our nation, the sacrifice that Deputy Koontz made.
On Monday, Hoosiers lined the streets to pay their respects to Deputy Koontz in a procession from Marion County back to Kokomo. The funeral for Deputy Koontz will be held on Tuesday, March 29 at 11AM at Northwestern High School in Kokomo. Kokomo Congress on Your Corner Event Thursday I held a Congress on Your Corner in Kokomo. Public events are a great way to get my marching orders for my work as your voice in the nation's capital.
At the start of the event, Hoosiers read from the Constitution, the document that is at the root of our American Exceptionalism. Throughout the world it is a unique document, the creation of which was the first time that the concept of self-governance of people truly came together. Following the reading of the Constitution, I shared with Hoosiers the latest on how I am fighting for them so that they can build better lives for themselves and their families while answering their questions and concerns. I look forward to continuing to hold events like this across the 4th District. Protecting Student Privacy Tuesday the Education and the Workforce Committee held a hearing examining federal policies effecting education research and student privacy. At the request of Chairman Kline, in my role as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education, I chaired the hearing. The Committee and witnesses held a productive discussion on how education research is used and what can be done to protect student privacy in the modern era. It was explained that education research has long played a role in our nation's classrooms to identify teaching and learning strategies that work in the classroom and to get rid of those that do not. Witnesses made it clear that this information can be used to raise the bar on student achievement. Rachel Strickland, an advocated for student privacy, said that "parents continue to seek answers to exactly what information pertaining to their children is being collected, who has access to the information and for what purpose, and when that information will be destroyed."
Last July, I introduced the Student Privacy Protection Act, a bipartisan bill to update student privacy protections. TheFamily Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) was written in 1974, well before the proliferation of computers and the use of the internet in education research. It is important to update this law for the 21st Century and I will continue to lead on these efforts. Opportunities for High School Students There are two unique events for high school students that I wanted to share with you. Entries for the Congressional Art Competition will be due next month and in May, I will be hosting an Academy Day with Senator Dan Coats.
The Congressional Art Competition is open to all high school students living or attending school in Indiana's 4th Congressional District. This year's theme for entrees to my office will be "Indiana's Bicentennial: Celebrating 200 Years!" For more information, please visit my website's Art Competition page.
One of the great honors that I have as a Representative is nominating students for the United States Service Academies. To help guide prospective applicants, I will be hosting a Service Academy Day on May 14th in Brownsburg. It is a great opportunity to discuss the application process and learn more information about the application process and life at the service academies. For more information, please visit my website's Service Academy Nomination page. Thank you for your continued interest in Congress and for supporting my efforts to bring Hoosier common sense to Washington. Take care.
Sincerely, |
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