Douglas Alexander: “just recently the Senate approved the Labor, HHS Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2004. During the same time period…”

“just recently the Senate approved the Labor, HHS Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2004. During the same time period we paused to remember the tragic events of September 11. So it is a good moment to bring to the attention of my Senate colleagues and of the Department of Education the nonpartisan, nonprofit Freedom's Answer project which is a direct result of the 9/11 experience--and which seeks to engage high school students across America in the elections process even before they are old enough to vote. At a time when Senator Kennedy and I, along with many other Members of the Senate, are convinced that restoring civics education to schools should get a high priority, Freedom's Answer is one effort that is doing just that. It should have the highest priority for funding by the Department of Education within the discretionary funds of the Fund for Innovation in Education, the Character Education Program, the Civics Education program, or the Fund for Improvement in Post-Secondary Education. Freedom's Answer is a totally nonpartisan program, begun by long-time political professionals Mike McCurry and Doug Bailey. Its National Advisory Council is co-chaired by the Republican Leader in the Senate, Bill Frist, and the Democratic Leader in the House, Nancy Pelosi. The chairs of the Republican and Democratic National Committees both sit on its National Advisory Council.”