Tom Harkin: “I especially wish to thank Senator Specter, our chairman, and his staff for the skill they have demonstrated and the…”

“I especially wish to thank Senator Specter, our chairman, and his staff for the skill they have demonstrated and the cooperation which they have given us in putting this bill together and working out the many compromises that were necessary to come up with this very bipartisan conference agreement. This conference report, I believe, is the most important bill we will pass this year after the balanced budget agreement. It includes a number of very important advances. First, the agreement significantly expands our Nation's commitment to quality education for our children. We have provided the largest increase for special education in our history. I repeat that. We have provided the largest increase for special education in our history. We have made college more affordable by increasing the maximum Pell grant to $3,000, the highest ever. We have expanded support to make sure schoolchildren have access to computers and other technology and for training teachers on how to use this technology. I am especially pleased that the conference committee agreed to my proposals to place greater emphasis on making sure that every American child enters school ready to learn.”