Asa Hutchinson: “I am dismayed that a bill that has the kind of bipartisan support-- support in this Chamber, support across the country…”

“I am dismayed that a bill that has the kind of bipartisan support-- support in this Chamber, support across the country among educators, support among our Nation's Governors--would have been held up as long as this has been held up and would have had the kind of amendments, many of them worthy of debate but that would have been far more germane to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which, as the chairman has said, will be debated and will be marked up in committee later this year. I think it is unfortunate that we have had all of these amendments filed. As Senator Sessions said, I have a bill, that I feel very strongly about, that would go further than Ed-Flex. I have resisted offering that as an amendment. We could have brought that to the floor. We could have offered that to the Ed-Flex bill. However, it is important that this piece of legislation move forward uncluttered, clean, with the support of both parties, and be presented to the President for his signature.”