Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. I want to start by thanking my colleagues on the committee in the House and in the Senate, particularly the Ranking Member, Mr. Scott, Senators Alexander and Murray, and their staffs. We would absolutely not be here today without their hard work. Today is a big day. We have an important opportunity to approve a bill that will replace No Child Left Behind with new policies that reduce the Federal role, restore local control, and empower parents, three principles that will help every child in every school receive a quality education. This effort began in earnest almost 5 years ago. It was February 10, 2011, when the Education and the Workforce Committee held its first hearing under the new Republican majority to examine the challenges and opportunities facing K-12 classrooms. Since that first hearing, we have held dozens of hearings and multiple markups and spent many hours on the floor considering amendments and debating competing ideas for improving education. All of those efforts are reflected in the final bill we have today. Behind all of that hard work was a team of dedicated staff. They put in long hours and sacrificed a great deal to draft the House and Senate proposals, move them through our respective committees and chambers, and then went to work developing this bipartisan, bicameral bill we are discussing today. My friend and colleague, the ranking member, Mr.…”