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Regular Session, 2014
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 140
BY REPRESENTATIVE WESLEY BISHOP
A RESOLUTION
To express support for the My Brother's Keeper initiative and to urge and request the State
Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to monitor the findings and
recommendations of the My Brother's Keeper Task Force as they pertain to
elementary and secondary education and to submit a written report to the House
Committee on Education relative to such findings and recommendations and their
potential application in Louisiana not later than 60 days prior to the beginning of the
2015 Regular Session of the Legislature of Louisiana.
WHEREAS, as stated in the Constitution of Louisiana, it is the goal of the public
education system to provide learning environments and experiences at all stages of human
development that are humane, just, and designed to promote excellence in order that every
individual may be afforded an equal opportunity to develop to his full potential; and
WHEREAS, in February of 2014, President Barack Obama established the My
Brother's Keeper initiative, an interagency effort to measurably improve the expected
educational and life outcomes for and address the persistent opportunity gaps faced by boys
and young men of color, including African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Native
Americans; and
WHEREAS, the My Brother's Keeper initiative is aimed at unlocking the full
potential of boys and young men of color, an effort that will not only benefit these
individuals but all Americans; and
WHEREAS, the My Brother's Keeper Task Force has been established by the
president for the purpose of developing a coordinated federal effort to improve significantly
the expected life outcomes for boys and young men of color and their contributions to the
nation's prosperity; and ENROLLEDHR NO. 140
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WHEREAS, the task force has been directed to focus on the following issues with
respect to education, among others: access to early childhood supports, grade school
literacy, and pathways to college and a career, including issues arising from school
disciplinary action; and
WHEREAS, in order to fulfill the state's constitutional duty of affording every
student an equal opportunity to develop to his full potential, it is appropriate that the State
Board of Elementary and Secondary Education monitor the findings and recommendations
of the My Brother's Keeper Task Force with respect to elementary and secondary education
and evaluate how they may be applied in Louisiana in order to improve the welfare of boys
and young men of color in this state.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
Legislature of Louisiana does hereby express support for the My Brother's Keeper initiative
and does hereby urge and request the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education
(BESE) to monitor the findings and recommendations of the My Brother's Keeper Task
Force as they pertain to elementary and secondary education.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the House of Representatives does hereby urge
and request BESE to focus specifically on the task force's findings and recommendations
with respect to education issues including the following:
(1)Access to early childhood supports.
(2)Grade school literacy.
(3)Pathways to college and a career, including issues arising from school
disciplinary action.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the House of Representatives does hereby urge
and request BESE to submit a written report to the House Committee on Education relative
to the task force's findings and recommendations pertaining to elementary and secondary
education and their potential application in Louisiana, including any recommendations for
related legislation, not later than 60 days prior to the beginning of the 2015 Regular Session
of the Legislature. ENROLLEDHR NO. 140
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BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
president of the United States, the president of the State Board of Elementary and Secondary
Education, and the state superintendent of education.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATI VES