Frank Riggs: “I would be very, very happy and, in fact, eager to work with the gentleman from Nevada [Mr. Ensign] and Nevada State…”

“I would be very, very happy and, in fact, eager to work with the gentleman from Nevada [Mr. Ensign] and Nevada State government officials to see if, in fact, again, we cannot encourage the Department of Education to look favorably upon their funding request as to the so-called old money, the $51 million, in this bill. Again, it is only the amount over and above $51 million that will go out pursuant to the priority factors, the so-called incentives. Furthermore, I just want to say so my colleagues understand this, because I know the gentleman from California [Mr. Martinez] and the gentleman from Indiana [Mr. Roemer] know this, I obviously come from a State that does have a very strict limit on the number of charter schools that can be created. I believe the number is 100 or 110 in the State of California today. So, again, as to the new money in this bill, the difference between the $51 million current funding level and the $100 million authorized annually in this legislation, I am putting my own State at a competitive disadvantage.”