Joe Lieberman: “I rise as a cosponsor to express my support for the amendment offered by my distinguished colleague from the State of…”

“I rise as a cosponsor to express my support for the amendment offered by my distinguished colleague from the State of Washington, Mrs. Murray, and my distinguished colleague from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Mr. Kennedy, to fully fund the No Child Left Behind Act and to improve overall funding for education and training programs. I believe it is critical that my colleagues in the Senate adopt this amendment which represents a critical investment in America's future. A little more than 2 years ago, in this Chamber, we made a bipartisan commitment to leave no child behind. This landmark legislation has the potential to strengthen our public education system. It represents an ambitious Federal effort to dramatically revitalize public education by closing the achievement gap, making sure every classroom has a qualified teacher, and giving parents and students adequate choices to ensure that their children receive a quality education. Adequate funding, however, is essential in order to give our public schools the support and resources they need to implement the act, and to meet the goals embodied therein.”