Political Quotes

“I learned, as other colleagues have learned on their trips to schools, to my utter astonishment that so many teachers reach into their own pockets and take their own dollars, after paying taxes in those instances where they pay taxes, and buy school supplies for the children. They have to use their own money for further teacher education. Last year, the Congress of the United States, at the initiative of myself and many others, finally passed a law by which they got a $250 above-the-line deduction. That was a remarkable achievement legislatively. Unfortunately, that piece of legislation sunsets at the end of this calendar year. The purpose of this amendment is, first, to increase $250 to $400 as the amount of deduction and, second, to enable that amendment now, by virtue of this amendment, to become permanent law so that they can plan their futures a little bit better. This deduction will be there for those wonderful and courageous teacher expenditures which they take out of their own pockets. I find it to be very touching.”