Tom Harkin: “again, I keep hearing this argument that this money can go to rich as well as poor districts. The Senator from New…”

“again, I keep hearing this argument that this money can go to rich as well as poor districts. The Senator from New Hampshire says take this money and put it all into poor districts. I find that an odd position for my friend to take since he is a very strong supporter of States rights. This money goes to the States. If the State government in New Hampshire wants to put that money into the richest school districts, I assume they can do that. I don't think State governments would do that. Our experience from the last year is that States take this money and focus it on those very districts where they have a low tax base because they have poor housing in low-income areas. That is where they focus the attention for school construction, not in rich areas. So I assume the Senator is saying he doesn't trust the State governments to do this. Well, I think they will do this. They will focus it on the poor districts. Lastly, I wish to make this point, and I think my friend knows this. In the conference that we are now in on the education bill, the reauthorization of elementary and secondary education, there is a provision the Senate adopted unanimously that provides for the full funding, 40 percent funding that the Federal Government should be doing for special education.”