William Ford: “in the 89th Congress, 1965, my first year here, we created the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which we are…”

“in the 89th Congress, 1965, my first year here, we created the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which we are reauthorizing for the ninth time today. I am extremely pleased that in the 103d Congress, my last Congress, we are making the most important changes in the act since we first passed it. We are bringing it into position where it will serve well, and adjust well to the 21st century. H.R. 6 reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 and related programs that have been added over the years to make them more complementary to local and State reform efforts. I want to compliment the ranking Republicans on my committee for their cooperation, as in each of the previous eight reauthorization bills, so that we are able to bring a bill to the floor that is a product of a bipartisan give-and-take. I just heard a member of the Committee on Rules talking about a poison pill in the bill which is not there anymore, or will not be there, because the Republicans, Democrats, and the administration got together late last evening and came to an agreement amongst themselves on opportunity-to-learn standards.”