María Elvira Salazar: “I rise to lend my support to amendment No. 2262 to the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations Act…”

“I rise to lend my support to amendment No. 2262 to the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2006. I am proud to be cosponsor of this amendment, which was introduced by Senator Bingaman. The amendment adds $60 million to key education programs that are critical to improving Hispanic educational opportunities. If approved, the money will be put to good use by State and local entities to invest in our country's most precious resource: Our youth. The Hispanic community is an integral component of our American workforce. By ensuring that the 8.7 million Hispanic youth enrolled in our Nation's schools succeed in education, we make a down payment on our Nation's future economic security. I note that the Hispanic Education Coalition, a group of diverse national education, civil rights, and Hispanic organizations, supports amendment No. 2262. The amendment will restore $5 million in funding to the School Dropout Prevention Program that was authorized by the No Child Left Behind Act, and long championed by my colleague Senator Bingaman. It increases funding for civics and English as a Second Language, ESL, programs by $6.5 million for parents, workers and citizens who want to learn more about our country's history and enhance their language skills in English, the language of opportunity in America and throughout the world.…”