Mark Hatfield: “I am pleased to offer an amendment today on behalf of myself and my colleagues, Senators Durenberger, Pell, Jeffords…”

“I am pleased to offer an amendment today on behalf of myself and my colleagues, Senators Durenberger, Pell, Jeffords, and Graham of Florida, which builds on the education flexibility provisions already included in Goals 2000. We are proposing the Education Flexibility Partnership Act to offer six states an enhanced arrangement in which to try regulatory flexibility. Senator Durenberger and I have been working together, with the assistance of the committee, to insure that the provisions in Goals 2000 will be of the most possible assistance to States as they embark upon systemic education reform efforts. In that vein, we have worked to guarantee that schools that do not receive funding under Goals 2000 are still eligible for waivers of Federal regulation. We have also improved the accountability provisions in the bill since that is the essence of the trade-off between the States and the Federal Government--we will release the Federal straightjacket in exchange for careful accountability of the results of such waivers.”