Jon Tester: “I urge my colleagues to support amendment No. 2107 to restore four title VII grant programs that were removed from the…”

“I urge my colleagues to support amendment No. 2107 to restore four title VII grant programs that were removed from the Every Child Achieves Act. These initiatives will help Native American students who are too often forgotten in the debate about improving education in America. Restoring these initiatives will help students in Indian Country develop the tools they need to succeed. The bottom line is that this authorizes programs that were removed from ESEA. These programs help Native American kids succeed, and they need all the help they can get. These programs have never been funded. This is an authorization bill. If we put it in, these programs will continue to be authorized and we can fight about funding later, but to take them out of an authorization bill means these programs are dead, and I think it would be a disservice to Indian Country. I would appreciate a ``yes'' vote on amendment No. 2107. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Tennessee.”