Mike Enzi

I think that there's a great future for education and I'm really impressed with the young people that I see in Washington.

Of course, the way that I most often get information is when Diana and I come back to the State pretty much every weekend and go around and talk to real people, not the ones inside the Beltway.

The purpose of the hearing, is for me to hear from more witnesses from rural areas.

I appreciate that. I do know that blame game, as we try to focus in on where the real problem is, it's always in somebody else's yard, one way, up or down.

We want more students to complete through K-12, and we talk about post-secondary in a very broad term.

When we talk about education, one of the things that is frustrating to legislators is, how do we tell people that we're getting something for the money that we put out there.

I have had a couple of people come to Washington from Wyoming and testify and they've been able to point that out real well.

So outside speakers help, then?

One of the things I was looking at in preparation for this was the drop-out rate for Wyoming.

And I think that's what we want--we want them to learn everything, and realize what their potential is.

We put a lot of emphasis on preschool, too, because that does make a difference.

Of course, one of the things I want to dwell on a little bit is the difference between rural and urban.

Good. I'm glad to hear about the participation on the tree, too.

I would hope that in the course of the formulation of these two very important laws that there's recognition that there really can be more cooperation between the Department of Labor and the Department of Education.

If they focus on a national, rigorous curriculum in reading, writing and mathematics. Help us with an assessment that we've never had before, that we can compare apples to apples.

I'll be anxious to see those statistics as they come a little bit further.

I almost got tears in my eyes when I think back, one of the people that had a career academy we're talking about, they had one that was a building trade.

We fix No Child Left Behind, which is, of course, to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

I want to thank you for calling the hearing on this important issue of rare and neglected diseases, focusing on rare pediatric diseases.

I thank the Senator from Delaware for those comments in his weekly update on Federal employees and the great job they are doing. In the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, we know quite a few of them who are doing outstanding…

We strongly encourage you to pass this bill out of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, with the strongest protections possible for the survivors of 9/11.

Could we do better? Each year we could do better, and that's what we strive for.

And so, we know they're being helped under one program, possibly, but we don't know if it's being tied in with all of the services that they need.

We the WTCRC, fully support S. 1334, the 'James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2009.'

I'll change the subject to mental health.