Political Quotes

“I also rise in support of H. Con. Res. 84, the Individuals with Disabilities Act. Let me tell Members that the meat is there now. The bottom line is that we are obligated by statute to pay 40 percent of the education of those with disabilities in this country. We have unfortunately in this Congress over the years not gotten anywhere near that level. In fact, we are probably about 11 percent right now with about a $14 billion deficit that we have to make up. Some people have gotten up and they have said, and I can understand it and I do not disagree with this, that we cannot do this at the expense of other programs. I will tell my colleagues that we will not do it at the expense of other programs. I am talking about Federal programs. But if we paid that money into the local governments, into the local school districts, then they would be able to free up the money which they presently have to build schools, to hire more teachers and to help with all of the other programs, because they are funding the deficit which we created by mandating that they do this. We have an obligation to educate everybody in America if we possibly can. This legislation would do it. We should pass it.”