Political Quotes

“This, again, Mr. President, is another opportunity to strengthen this bill. Like the Gorton amendment, it is just a commonsense amendment that simply underlines a commitment to fairness and equity that I believe every Member in this body shares. My amendment would require a court making an award under the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act to take into consideration the impact the granting of the award would have on the education of all children in that State or locality. The problem that the Smith amendment addresses is a very real one. Again, talking with school boards, having served on a school board, I can tell you that litigation costs are consuming a lot of resources that would otherwise be dedicated to education services or infrastructure development. In one instance, a school district was forced to pay $13,000 in attorney's fees as a result of a dispute over less than $1,000. I simply ask my colleagues if that is reasonable.”