Reporting on location from Denver, Co. — In her address to members of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) at the organization’s 44th annual meeting, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos spoke on the importance of tax reform and school choice, among other policy reforms, for rebirthing America’s entrepreneurial spirit.

“[W]e need changes in education that put students at the center, empowers educators and spurs, creativity,” DeVos said. “The same principle applies to fixing our nation’s broken tax code. We need to reduce the financial burden on hard working individuals and job providers to unleash the economic potential that has been held captive for too long. Without reform, the next generation of entrepreneurs will swim upstream against the developed world’s highest corporate tax rate and a system that punishes risk taking rather then encourages it. On these issues, and more, President Trump is determined to place power back in the hands of people.”

DeVos’ comments were met with a round of applause from the conservative-oriented ALEC crowd.

For the remainder of her address, DeVos spoke heavily on her, and the administration’s, intentions to place educational decision making back to the “state, local, and family” levels. DeVos has long taken the stance of promoting school voucher tax credits, educational savings accounts, and other similar programs meant to increase access for students and their parents to individualized educational options.

Many of these options include private and charter schools, vocational and technical schools, homeschooling, and the promotion of greater flexibility in the curriculum of the nation’s thousands of public school systems.

Upon her arrival a day prior, DeVos was meant with protests from pro-teacher union activists that marched throughout downtown Denver. The focus of the protest was to show that Denver wants to “resist DeVos.”

DeVos isn’t the only high-profile Trump Administration official expected to make an appearance at the meeting. U.S. Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta is scheduled to deliver remarks on the Administration’s efforts to reform labor law and regulations while elaborating on ways focused “on strengthening the American workforce,” according to a media advisory.

Denver is the location for the 44th annual ALEC meeting; however, the event will overlap with this year’s Western Conservative Summit, hosted by Colorado Christian University’s Centennial Institute.

Stay tuned for more on-location coverage of the 44th Annual ALEC Meeting and the 2017 Western Conservative Summit.

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