Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick: “I offer thanks to the gentleman from Virginia [Mr. Moran], our ranking member, for giving me the opportunity to come…”

“I offer thanks to the gentleman from Virginia [Mr. Moran], our ranking member, for giving me the opportunity to come before this body today, as well as to the gentleman from California [Mr. Dixon], who has shown his leadership as we discuss the life of over 600,000 people in this city of ours, our Capital City, who have no representation who can vote in this Congress. Mr. Chairman, 600,000 people, more than 4 States' population, and yet they have no vote here in this Congress. And if they did, I do not think we would be debating as we are today how they would run their schools. I stand here opposed to this legislation for many reasons. First of all, it repeals the Davis-Bacon provision that says that prevailing wages and safety regulations will be had for the workers who work on construction and repair projects here in the District of Columbia district with over 600,000 people. It also closes the UDC Law School. It is not a time to close our law school. It is an opportunity for people to go to law school who would otherwise not have it. I think it is a tragedy. Mr. Chairman, this bill talks about school vouchers. Over 90 percent of children in America go to public schools. I am a parent and former high school teacher and a graduate of all-public universities. I have two children who graduated from public school. One is now a lawyer; the other owns her own business. Many of us in this Congress are products of public education.”