Political Quotes

“I was very pleased to join the distinguished Senator from South Dakota, Senator Daschle, and our leadership colleagues in the House of Representatives in hosting Congress's first Civic Education conference. On behalf of the entire Senate, I want to recognize and thank the cosponsors of the first conference, the Alliance for Democracy and its members: the Center for Civic Education, the Center on the Congress at Indiana University and the National Conference of State Legislatures. It is my understanding that there will be a total of five Congressional Conferences on Civic Education. These conferences will enable us to give civic education and civic participation the sustained, national attention they deserve but have not always gotten. It is our hope to explore, at these annual conferences, the critical role civic education plays in promoting civic participation--which is really the lifeblood of any democracy. We also want to find new and better ways to work with schools and with education leaders to create first-rate citizenship education programs in our nation's schools. I know this is an interest that the Senator from South Dakota shares. I think this first conference provided an excellent start on that goal.”