On January 23, the House passed, by voice vote, H.R. 601, the Reinforcing Education Accountability in Development (READ) Act. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY), would amend the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (P.L. 87-195) to coordinate educational programs to improve literacy and “break down barriers to basic education for women and girls.”
The legislation would require the U.S., as a matter of its foreign policy, to propose programs that promote access to basic education for women and girls in developing countries.
The House passed a version of the bill during the 114th Congress (see The Source, 9/9/16); the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved the measure in December (see The Source, 12/9/16).
