Norman Mineta: “I rise today in strong opposition to the Roth amendment that seeks to eliminate federally supported bilingual education…”

“I rise today in strong opposition to the Roth amendment that seeks to eliminate federally supported bilingual education programs. This amendment would eliminate title VII, the 25-year-old Bilingual Education Act, that reauthorizes bilingual education programs. Title VII grants have helped school districts develop and implement bilingual education programs. Bilingual education is a proven success at teaching students who come to school speaking a language other than English. As we all know, most funding for education, including bilingual education, comes from State and local governments. The Federal Government has sole jurisdiction over immigration policy; it must share the responsibility to serve the needs of the immigrants that Federal policy allows to enter the United States. Limited English proficient students represent the fastest-growing segment of our school-age population. In 1990, one of every seven students lived in a home where a language other than English was spoken. The Federal Government should support providing these students the programs they need to develop the language skills to succeed. I urge my colleagues to vote no on the Roth amendment.”