Political Quotes

“This is the final amendment to the bill which will not kill the bill or send it back to committee. If adopted, the bill will immediately proceed to final passage as amended. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with serious concerns. Today, we are voting on a bill that guts education funding; fails to provide adequate support for our hard-working teachers; and turns our back on our schools, our communities, and our children. Mr. Speaker, today, we are not fixing No Child Left Behind, which has long needed to be fixed, but instead, we are moving in the wrong direction. As a room parent, as a PTA mom, I strongly believe that every child deserves the opportunity for a quality education, and every child deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. The amendment I am offering today provides us the opportunity to live up to those goals. My amendment would guarantee continued funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, known as IDEA. Just today, I met with school superintendents from Connecticut who emphasize the critical role of Federal funding for IDEA, which provides important support for students with autism and cognitive disabilities, and my amendment would protect children with disabilities from abusive seclusion and restraint practices. Last year, I met with a group of students from the FOCUS Center for Autism in Canton, Connecticut, in my district.…”