Patsy T. Mink: “I serve as a cochair on the Democratic side of the aisle together with the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Roemer) and the…”

“I serve as a cochair on the Democratic side of the aisle together with the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Roemer) and the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Etheridge) on the Task Force on Education. We have served for over a year and a half. That agenda was created because we were responding to the needs of the people throughout the country. One of the top things they talked about was the need for additional teachers, additional qualified teachers and to do something about our crumbling classrooms and the inadequate infrastructure. This is something that has been on our agenda for over a year and a half. This year we did not even see the education budget come to the floor so that we could debate it, so that we could ask this country to fund this program. Now we are awaiting an omnibus bill, we know not what is in it, but I plead with the Republican majority to do as they have been saying on the floor every day, put those moneys for the teachers right in the classrooms and not fund it in any sort of circuitous way where we know not how that money is getting to our schools.”