Political Quotes

“I rise to oppose H.R. 5, the Individuals with Disabilities Reauthorization Act of 1997 [IDEA]. I oppose this bill as strong supporter of doing all possible to advance the education of persons with disabilities. However, I do not think that a huge bureaucracy is the best way to educate disabled children. Parents and local communities know their children so much better than any Federal bureaucrat, and they can do a better job of meeting a child's needs than we in Washington. There is no way that the unique needs of my grandchildren, and some young boy or girl in Los Angeles, CA or New York City can be educated by some sort of 'Cookie Cutter' approach. At a time when Congress should be returning power and funds to the States, IDEA increases Federal control over education. According to the Congressional Budget Office Federal expenditures on IDEA will reach over $20 billion by the year 2002. This flies in the face of many Members' public commitment to place limits on the scope of the Federal bureaucracy. H.R. 5 imposes significant costs on State governments and localities.”