James M. Jeffords: “This is the Jeffords amendment relating to title VI of the bill. It takes money which is dedicated to school…”

“This is the Jeffords amendment relating to title VI of the bill. It takes money which is dedicated to school construction and puts it into IDEA and special education. We have over and over again pledged to fully fund up to 40 percent of the cost of educating children in special education. We have not done that. All of you committed to doing that. We have no comparable historical obligation to contribute money for school construction. That is an option under title VI and will remain an option even if my amendment is approved. We believe we should fund and pay for our current Federal obligations first before we take on new and open ended obligations. It is a promise we have all made. It is a promise we should keep.”