mr. chairman , after years of hard work on both sides of the aisle to create a head start reauthorization bill that treats our nation 's neediest children fairly , it is with a heavy heart that i must oppose the final passage of h.r. 2123 . 
head start is designed to ensure that all children -- regardless of their family 's income , race , or ethnic background -- are able to enter kindergarten ready to learn . 
the boustany amendment , which promotes discrimination on the basis of religion for faith-based organizations , destroys the principle of fairness that i believe is central and crucial to the success of head start . 
it is for this reason that i can not support final passage of the bill . 
i have long been a supporter of the head start program because each and every year i witness the dramatic positive impact that early intervention services have on children 's lives in my congressional district . 
my district includes many children who are in desperate need of head start services , especially those hispanic children who depend on head start services to learn critical early literacy skills . 
these skills are doubly important now to meet the rigorous requirements of the no child left behind act . 
latino children currently make up more than one-third of all eligible head start children , and the los angeles county office of education is home to the largest head start program in the nation , serving more than 24 , 000 children . 
as a member of the appropriations subcommittee on labor , health and human services , and education , i have continuously supported strong and sustained funding for the head start program . 
during consideration in the education and the workforce committee this year , democrats and republicans worked constructively together to improve the delivery of head start services to the target populations . 
the product of this collaborative process was a bill that contained several forward-looking provisions that would help the overall administration and accountability of the program . 
in particular , i highlight the reauthorization bill 's provisions to ensure that head start teachers possess at least an associate 's degree in early childhood education within three years of the bill 's enactment . 
in addition , i applaud the provision that would allocate 5 percent of total funds toward programs that support the children of migrant and seasonal workers , an easily-overlooked populace that is disproportionately latino . 
it is important to note that i and my fellow democrats recognize and appreciate the wonderful work that faith-based organizations do to support the mission of head start . 
faith-based groups have and should continue to play a critical and respected role in the education of our nation 's youngsters . 
while the participation of faith-based groups is respected and valuable , however , the boustany amendment would seriously damage the mission of head start , which is to `` level the playing field '' when it comes to early childhood education . 
it is essential that faith-based groups respect the civil rights of the thousands of head start teachers and volunteers who are committed to improving the lives of children , regardless of their personal religious beliefs . 
there are many faith-based groups that it is important to note that not all faith-based organizations support the discrimination practices supported by the boustany amendment . 
in fact , many religious organizations specifically oppose discrimination in hiring based on religion , including : american jewish congress , church women united , interfaith alliance/foundation , union for reform judaism , unitarian universalist association of congregations , and united church of christ justice & amp ; witness ministries . 
although the boustany discrimination amendment has forced me to oppose h.r. 2123 , i remain committed to the head start program and the services the program provides to our country 's underserved children . 
i can only hope that the republican leadership will come to its senses during the conference of this bill with the senate and move to eliminate this discriminatory provision so that head start can once again go forward with the universal support that it has earned and that it deserves . 
