Education
Rep. Chu speaking to children in a classroom.
Education is a proven pathway for success. As a former educator and school board member in our community, I understand the needs of our schools. We need to fully fund education programs, give our teachers and students the resources they need, ensure our schools are environments for learning, and guarantee equal opportunity for all children.
Early Childhood Education
Investments in early education, when a child’s brain is rapidly developing, can lead to better academic and personal achievement lasting a lifetime. That is why every child and family must have access to quality childcare and early education. Through investments in programs like Head Start and by taking new steps to offer affordable childcare to families of all income levels, we can ensure that every child starts life on a level playing field with equal chances for a healthy, successful life.
K-12 Education
A child’s zip code should never determine the quality of their education. That is why I am committed to increasing federal investment in our public schools to guarantee equitable opportunities for every student. That means investing in school infrastructure to ensure that students are learning in safe and updated classrooms, reducing class sizes, training teachers, and fulfilling our promise to students with disabilities. That is why I introduced the Equal Access to Quality Education Act, a bill which will assist low-income schools in recruiting, training, and retaining profession-ready teachers. We also must prepare our students for a 21st century world by expanding science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) opportunities and ensuring access to arts and music education.
Post-Secondary Education
Colleges and universities are engines of our economy, but the rapidly rising costs of tuition have excluded too many students from attendance. And countless students who do attend find themselves saddled with crushing debt. That is why I believe every student should have access to a debt-free degree. That means increasing investment in financial assistance programs like the Pell Grant, allowing student debt to be refinanced and discharged in bankruptcy, and protecting Public Service Loan Forgiveness and income-based repayment plans. And with more job opportunities requiring an advanced degree, I believe we must also protect access to postgraduate education. My bill, the POST GRAD Act, would help make advanced degrees more affordable by reinstating subsidized loans for graduate students.
More on Education
Congressional members on both sides of the aisle have publicly promoted census participation. Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., the head of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, said during a Facebook event Monday that Asian Americans face potential undercounts in the census because a large proportion of the population are young or immigrants.
Minority caucuses in the House are gaining unprecedented political clout, spurred by unity between black, Hispanic, and Asian and Pacific American lawmakers.
Known collectively as the Tri-Caucus, the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) and Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) encompass 131 House Democrats, or 56 percent of the most diverse House Democratic Caucus ever.
But the Tri-Caucus was not always effective in yielding its full voting power to move legislation or leadership battles.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Representative Judy Chu (D-CA) and U.S.
Washington, DC — Today, on the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz and Holocaust Memorial Day, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 943, the Never Again Education Act. The Never Again Education Act directs the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum to develop and nationally disseminate Holocaust education resources to high school and middle school educators.
Washington, DC — Today, the House of Representatives voted on two packages of spending bills to keep the government open through fiscal year 2020 at levels higher than current funding and higher than the President’s budget request. The first package, under H.R.
Washington, DC — Rep. Judy Chu (CA-27) is the 9th most active member of the 116th Congress, according to a new report by Quorum Analytics, which studied legislative activity from the beginning of the session – January 1, 2019 – to the start of the August Recess – July 31, 2019. Rep. Chu issued the following statement:
Washington, DC - Today, Rep. Judy Chu (CA-27) reintroduced the Protecting Our Students by Terminating Graduate Rates that Add to Debt (POST GRAD) Act. The bill would once again make graduate students eligible to receive Federal Direct Subsidized Loans. That eligibility was ended by the Budget Control Act of 2011. Rep. Chu released the following statement:
Washington, DC — A bipartisan bill to help food insecure college students was introduced today by Reps. Judy Chu (CA-27) and Roger Marshall (KS-01). The Campus Hunger Reduction Act of 2019 makes institutions of higher education eligible for the Community Food Projects grant program, a grant through the US Department of Agriculture that helps nonprofits and public agencies address hunger through food distribution, outreach, increased self-reliance, and more.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, a new survey of 40,000 students from 57 community colleges revealed that over 50% of students either couldn’t afford to eat balanced meals or worried about running out of food. According to the study, 41% of students skipped meals for financial reasons, and 12% said they would go entire days without eating because they did not have enough money. Last Congress, Rep.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Judy Chu (CA-27) introduced H.R. 7204, the Developing Innovative Partnerships and Learning Opportunities that Motivate Achievement (DIPLOMA) Act. The DIPLOMA Act would provide federal grants to states to support community schools and develop a comprehensive child and youth strategy. States would award subgrants to local consortia, in which a school works with at least one community partner.