Mr. Pate, at the outset, I thank you for your timely intervention with the Department on a matter of significance in Pennsylvania where we had a bankruptcy sale involving a company called Carbide Graphite, and you had the matter under…

Well, there are frequently changes in reauthorization which do not bear on a determination that the program is ineffective.

You have very, very solid Committee support here.

I think you are a good advertisement for the quality and efficiency and importance of after-school programs.

So I still do not understand the relevancy of your distinction between discretionary and State grants.

And that African American and Hispanic middle-school students had better grades, had less absenteeism and tardiness?

Our only difficulty, candidly, is when the Administration comes in with a lower figure.

I think it is very, very important.

Well, you have moved from the area where there had been improvement to your generalization of dissatisfaction.

Is it not pretty important how it impacted on the Hispanic and African American students where there is customarily a greater concern about the quality of education?

The studies show that, as summarized, that there was more parental involvement in the program.

But does that say anything about the inadequacy or failure of the discretionary program?

No, you said that the Congress as well as the administration--adopted language to the effect of being disappointed in the program, not satisfied with it.

Well, when you talked about a change from discretionary funding to State grants, how is that relevant on the quality of the program?

Do not tell this subcommittee what Congress thinks unless you have some factual basis for it. Do you?

When you talk about appropriate funding, one of the issues which has concerned me for many years and I have introduced legislation on, is the very high cost in the last few days, few weeks before death and the really inadequate information…

Nobody should decide for anybody else when the life support systems will be turned off.

I think this subcommittee for the past decade-plus has been a model of bipartisan cooperation.