Political Quotes

“I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Johnson has done a great job. That was a great presentation. I am very proud of him. Each person who has spoken on this legislation really put it in context about the Esther Martinez program started in 2006. I happened to be a cosponsor of that bill. I watched it pass and become a reality, and it has worked. What we are doing is reauthorizing a program that allows a culture to be retained through languages. In Alaska, we have 20 Native languages and 40-some dialects. As the gentleman said, we lost that for a long period of time. Language is what keeps the culture together. It is important for the past, important for the present, and important for the future. The University of Alaska has a program, the Alaska Native Language Center, which has worked very well since the 1970s. We were well ahead with this program, and we want to continue it. We have an innovative Alaska Native Cultural Charter School in Anchorage that teaches Yupik to all the students so there is an exchange, not just Native, but between other races, so they understand the language. I believe this is one of the best programs that we are able to achieve. The funding probably is still inadequate, but it is a continuation of good work by this Congress. I thank each one of you who has been participating in this, especially Representative Lujan. I am a little bit concerned, if I may. I don't want to speak about the other body, but we know who it is.…”