I want to especially acknowledge the presence of Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia.

I hope you don't come to the same end he did.

It is time that we put the teaching of American history and civics back in its rightful place in our schools so our children can grow up learning what it means to be an American.

We are not doing a very good job of teaching just what those values are.

We hope we can play a role in taking all the various programs... back in its rightful place in our curriculum.

The accomplishment is that we have taken all that variety and diversity and turned it into one country, and we do not talk about that.

We need to do a better job of teaching just what those values are.

In my, as we call it in the Senate, so-called maiden address, I spoke on this subject, and I said I thought we had spent over the last 30 or 40 years too much time, relatively, on diversity, multiculturalism, and bilingualism and too little time on a common culture, on a common language, and on unity.

Senate Bill 1139, introduced by Senator Mike DeWine and Senator Frank Lautenberg, provides funding for increased enforcement efforts across the country.

Why in the world do we keep waiting until we get the fifth or sixth fatality when we know, and everyone in the community knows, this is a bad intersection.

There needs to be money. I agree with Dr. Runge, there are States out there that it is more deadly to drive in than others.

I want to make sure I understand, and I am going to take some more time to study your proposal.

The key, it seems to me, we are all for flexibility, but it is clear from your comments earlier you are for flexibility but you are also for accountability.

I think that is a great quote.

I believe that the money we are talking about today, frankly, should primarily be going for education issues and behavioral modification issues.

I think a bigger percentage of that bill should be absolutely dedicated to focusing on trying to eliminate the hazards on the highway.

I would like your comments on that because I am very interested, frankly, as we write a new highway bill, that we do that.

Is Ms. Hamilton correct when she is saying that States could actually, under your proposal, divert the money to highway construction?