Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, I rise to urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the manager's amendment that is now before us. Mr. Chairman, this amendment makes several changes that significantly improve the bill as it was reported out of committee. The changes in the Teacher Quality Enhancement Grants are especially important. The overall authorization of such sums and the provision that the program will become a State grant when appropriations reach $250 million mean that the authorizers intend that this be a major teacher initiative. The provision that partnerships involving institutions of higher education and local education agencies receive one-third of the funds means that we will have a ``ground up'' reform not only of teaching but also in the recruitment of teachers. The emphasis on serving school districts with a high level of poverty, low teacher retention rates or a high percentage of teachers teaching outside their specialization means we will be focusing funds on those areas most in need. The new grant program to combat violent crimes against women in college campuses is a very important provision. I commend the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey) for her deep commitment to this issue and for her persistence in seeing it through to a most successful conclusion.”