Date: 1999-03-23
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I thank the gentleman from Missouri for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker. I rise in strong support of this motion to instruct. and I appreciate what people have said on the other side. But the fact of the matter is that the program to provide for 100.000 teachers over the next several years in the classrooms of this country is a program that was passed by this Congress. It is a high priority for the President of the United States. Now what we see is an attempt in the Senate to try and renege on that promise. to torpedo that program because the other side does not like the idea of using this.money to reduce class sizes. Now what they have decided to do is they are going to pit disabled childrens education against the reduction in class sizes. This is a program for the purposes of reducing class sizes. Already one of the criticisms is that there is not enough money to do it properly. So if some States do not want to use it for that purpose. then the money can be reallocated to the States who have a crying need to lower their class sizes. and they can get about that business. This is not a mandatory program. It is not required that one takes money from the Federal Government. The notion that somehow that this is really about helping with IDEA. it is interesting that. in the budget resolution that the Republicans are going to bring to the floor. there was an attempt there to fully fund IDEA. and all of the Republicans voted against it. So they say they are all upset that we have only funded 10 percent or 12 percent since we made the promise to fully fund the excess cost. and yet when they had the chance in the budget resolution to vote it for it. they voted against it. So let us understand what is going on here. There is an attempt here to derail and deny a President a program that is very popular among parents. among school administrators and others to try and reduce class size. because reduced class size does appear to be having an impact. I appreciate what the gentleman said. it is about the quality of teacher. Nobody has fought harder for the quality of teacher. But I have met an awful lot of good teachers. an awful lot of very good teachers who will tell my colleagues that it is very difficult to do their job when they are teaching 35 and 40 students at different grade levels. The point is this. that the Senate can try and derail that presidential program. or we can deal with EdFlex straight up. which we ought to do. So let us just understand that that is what is taking place here. This is not about IDEA other than to use it as a battering ram against the presidential program that many. many school districts are waiting to be able to take advantage of. Schools do not want to do it. then do not do it. But the fact of the matter is that we should do full funding of IDEA. But when my colleagues had their opportunity to do it. they did not do it. We could have it in the budget resolution on the floor this week. but the choice was not to do that. The choice was to go off and fund star wars or whatever else they are doing with the money that they have. So let us keep the two things separate and understand that this is about EdFlex. We ought to pass an EdFlex bill: We ought to send that EdFlex bill to the President of the United States. and we can come back. and we can keep our promise on the 100.000 teachers. Then we can deal with IDEA when the time comes for us to deal with that in the appropriations bill.