Political Quotes

“first I want to commend the Senators and staff who have committed so much time to the reauthorization of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act. It is a good bill that incorporates the insights and experiences of the hundreds of groups who have been involved in the development process. I planned to offer my strong support, however, for the amendment that was to have been offered by Senator Gregg because I believe the underlying bill would be better if it contained a strong commitment on Federal funding--for a number of reasons. I am familiar with education spending at the State level because I come to this process as a former State Legislator. I served the State of Wyoming for 10 years--5 years in the State House and 5 years in the State Senate. During that time, in my tenure as chairman of the Senate Revenue Committee, I felt all of the constraints in the State budget. The most difficult one, however--the one that was always fraught with protestation and controversy--was how we spent money on education, where it came from and where it went. Elementary and secondary education is my State's largest single expenditure. In the 1995-96 school year, the Wyoming State Government expended $237 million, or 44 percent, of the total amount of money spent on K-12 education in Wyoming. Fifty percent of the funding, or $280 million, came from local sources. I am proud of that commitment.…”