No Child Left Inside Act of 2007 Passes US House

by Joan H. Young

The "No Child Left Inside" national legislation passed a major milestone this week as the House of Representatives approved the bill. It still must pass the Senate.

No Child Left Inside 2007 (HR 3036 and S 1981) calls for states to submit a K-12 plan to the US Department of Education for review. If approved, grant money would be available for the training of teachers, development of curricula, and funding of actual programs.

The No Child Left Inside Coalition was formed 18 months ago to spearhead and coordinate efforts to pass the current legislation. The coalition "speaks for a diverse group of Americans who believe young people should receive a strong education about their natural world. The Coalition’s focus is passage of the federal No Child Left Inside Act. This legislation would authorize major new funding for states to provide high-quality, environmental instruction. Funds would support outdoor learning activities both at school and in non-formal environmental education centers, teacher training, and the creation of state environmental literacy plans."

In Michigan, House of Representative memebers who voted in favor of HR 3036 include Bart Stupek, John Conyers, Joel Knollenberg, Vern Ehlers, John Dingell, Fred Upton, Carolyn Kilpatrick, Dale Kildee, Candice Miller, and Sander Levin. Negative Michigan voters were Peter Hoekstra, Dave Camp, Mike Rogers, Timothy Walberg, and Thaddeus McCotter.
No Child Left Inside Coalition
See No Child Left Inside Act of 2007 (a pdf)
See how all US House members voted on HR 3606
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