The publication is reproduced in full below:
INTRODUCTION OF THE TEACHER VICTIMS' FAMILY ASSISTANCE ACT OF 2021
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HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS
of florida
in the house of representatives
Monday, February 15, 2021
Mr. HASTINGS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Teacher Victims' Family Assistance Act of 2021. American teachers are overburdened. In too many schools across our nation, infrastructure needs repair, teachers are underpaid, and classrooms are overcrowded. In addition to all these problems, teachers are also forced to contend with a gun violence epidemic, which has led to more and more deaths on schoolgrounds each year. In the face of this horrific reality, numerous teachers have died, often in an effort to heroically defend the lives of their students.
Surviving family members of these slain teachers are unquestionably burdened with immeasurable grief, but they are also left without the financial support their deceased spouse or parent provided them. While we must continue to tirelessly advocate for common sense gun laws, we must also ensure that those who lose family members in such senseless acts of violence are cared for through financial assistance that will help cover final expenses and support the care of surviving family members--just like we have in the past for public safety officers and for 9/11 first responders.
The Teacher Victims' Family Assistance Act of 2021 creates a compensation fund under the U.S. Department of Education that provides assistance to the immediate families of teachers and other school staff who are killed in a violent act over the course of performing their duties. The compensation fund provides funeral assistance, a death benefit to the next of kin, a monthly living allowance for the surviving spouse and children, and five years of undergraduate education assistance for each child.
It is my sincere hope that over time fewer and fewer families will be in need of assistance from this compensation fund after they experience the tragic loss of their spouse or parent. Until that time comes, we must do everything in our power to honor those dedicated, hardworking teachers who died in an act of violence by caring for their surviving loved ones.
Madam Speaker, I urge the House to expeditiously pass this measure. Doing so will reaffirm America's gratitude for our nation's devoted educators, who work tirelessly to enrich the lives of our children.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 29
The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
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