mr. chairman , i rise today in support of h.r. 2123 , the school readiness act of 2005 . 
the goal of the head start program is to give at-risk children all across our nation a fair chance at succeeding in the educational system . 
head start is especially important to latino children . 
latino children make up more than one-third , 34 percent , of all those eligible for the program . 
in my home state of california , 65.8 percent , which is almost two-thirds , of those enrolled in the head start program are latino . 
as the hispanic population experiences rapid growth , head start services must be strengthened to reflect the unique needs of latino families . 
head start 's ability to improve the educational skills and opportunities of latino children will be an important component of america 's future success . 
head start has long lasting effects on those most in need . 
head start graduates are more likely to graduate from high school and less likely to need special education , repeat a grade , or commit crimes in adolescence . 
this bill improves the program in several key ways : it increases funding for underserved children : for the children of migrant and seasonal workers , it will allow approximately 10 , 000 more children to leave the agricultural fields and enter the classroom ; it expands the native america head start programs ; and it also works towards ensuring that parents can get information in their native language , when possible . 
this bill was passed unanimously out of the committee on education and the workforce in may . 
it is important that we pass this legislation as a bipartisan effort to help american youth . 
unfortunately , the boustany amendment would jeopardize this important bill by allowing for employment discrimination based on religion . 
that kind of partisan politics has no place in a bill that is about increasing educational opportunities for our children . 
many of our latino parents and children already face a number of barriers in accessing the head start program . 
we must not add additional barriers or sacrifice their futures . 
it would place tens of thousands of already at-risk children in danger of losing their head start teachers . 
and in doing so , it would block countless low-income and minority parents from climbing the ladder out of poverty . 
we should not make it more difficult to participate in a program that enables thousands of parents to make the life-changing transition from being a parent volunteer to being a trained and paid head start teacher . 
this amendment is inconsistent with american values of tolerance and respect for all religions . 
instead of trying to tack on a partisan amendment , we should pass a bill that maintains head start 's high standards and allows head start centers to hire the most qualified teachers . 
that is what 's best for our children and for our country . 
i urge my colleagues to vote `` no '' on the boustany amendment . 
