Political Quotes

“I thank my good friend and cosponsor of this amendment, Mr. Meehan. I rise today in support of my amendment to strengthen the process by which local school districts can provide meaningful firsthand input in the development of rules and regulations issued by the Department of Education. As a former school board member, I can tell you nothing is more frustrating to school board members, 96 percent of whom are directly elected by the voters in their community, than having to redirect limited resources that they have to unfunded mandates contained in rules and regulations issued by the Department of Education. My amendment here today ensures that rules and regulations are educationally and operationally viable at the local level by ensuring that electronic exchanges of information and any regional meetings that are held by the Department of Education are public and notice of such meetings and exchanges are proactively provided to the interested stakeholders. This outreach is important for all sides and I believe will benefit the overall rulemaking process. My amendment also prohibits the Department of Education from imposing additional requirements in rules, regulations, and nonregulatory guidance that have not been specifically authorized in the underlying legislation. This is an important step to ensure that education policy is implemented at the local level by leaders who are held accountable by the students, parents, and taxpayers they represent.…”