{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://hayes.house.gov/press-releases?ID=0715FA9A-40A6-4E13-B697-393B770C2A14", "Hayes, Trahan, Bustos Lead Reintroduction of Teacher Pipeline Legislation", "2021-09-13", "2021", "2021-09", "Democrat", "House", "CT", "Jahana Hayes", "H001081", "hayes.house.gov", "hayes", "https://hayes.house.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 Today, Congresswomen Jahana Hayes (CT-05), Lori Trahan (MA-03), and Cheri Bustos (IL-17) reintroduced the Supporting Teachers with Residency Opportunities and New Grants (STRONG) Act, legislation endorsed by the nation\u2019s two largest teachers\u2019 unions to alleviate the burden placed on educators over the past 18 months and strengthen the pipeline of America\u2019s next generation of teachers.\n\n\u201cIt is important for the education field to attract and retain professionals who are truly invested in the future of our children. The pipeline can be upheld with alternative options like Teaching Residency Programs, which target students early,\u201d said Congresswoman Hayes, a member of the House Committee on Education and Labor. \u201cTeaching Residency Programs support future educators by providing a solid foundation and infusing the pipeline to stabilize the K-12 workforce. I thank Congresswoman Trahan for her leadership on this critical issue.\u201d\n\n\"Throughout the pandemic, teachers \u2013 like so many frontline heroes \u2013 have overcome daily challenges while continuing to provide quality education to our children. As the mom of two school-aged daughters, I\u2019ve seen the immense sacrifices teachers have made for their students firsthand. It\u2019s long past time for them to receive the help they deserve,\u201d said Congresswoman Trahan. \u201cThe STRONG Act will provide teachers with long-overdue support and address our ongoing difficulty with teacher retention by establishing a strong pipeline of teachers ready to hit the ground running in classrooms across America. This legislation should be voted on without delay so that we can implement these commonsense solutions immediately.\"\n\n\u201cTeacher shortages often hurt our most vulnerable - our children in communities of color and rural areas - and the pandemic has only exacerbated this growing problem. When we sell our teachers short by leaving them underpaid and undervalued, we sell our next generation short,\u201d said Congresswoman Bustos, a member of the House Appropriations Committee\u2019s Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies. \u201cOur schools can't remain open if our classrooms have no educators to fill them. That's why I\u2019m proud to introduce the STRONG Act, to help fill the gap and increase the number of desperately-needed teachers into the workforce.\u201d\n\nThe STRONG Act would provide immediate assistance to teachers who have been under immense pressure during the COVID-19 pandemic to deliver quality education to students in dynamic learning environments by expanding eligibility for undergraduate students and recent graduates with a teaching- or education-related major to enter into Teacher Residency programs \u2013 fast-tracking prospective teachers into the current workforce to provide additional assistance and much needed back up to our teachers.\n\nThe legislation also authorizes $600 million in funding for programs that bolster teacher preparation such as Teacher Residencies and incentivizes participation by prospective teachers in those programs by expanding eligibility for undergraduate students enrolled in a Teacher Residency to immediately participate in the Public Student Loan Forgiveness program. The STRONG Act is key to ensuring that teachers can continue doing their jobs knowing that their ability to succeed in their roles is taken just as seriously as that of their students.\n\nThe text of the legislation as introduced can be accessed HERE.\n\n###\n\nCongresswoman Jahana Hayes sits on the Committees on Education & Labor and Agriculture and proudly represents Connecticut\u2019s 5th District. She was a public school teacher in Connecticut for more than 15 years and was recognized in 2016 as the National Teacher of the Year.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:17:01Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://hayes.house.gov/press-releases?ID=0715FA9A-40A6-4E13-B697-393B770C2A14"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.468106172978878, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}