[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 119 (Wednesday, September 10, 1997)]
[House]
[Pages H7122-H7123]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                SCHOOL VOUCHERS ARE A DRAIN ON RESOURCES

  (Mr. PALLONE asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, Democrats have made education a top 
priority this Congress, and our emphasis has

[[Page H7123]]

been on improving public schools, including raising educational 
standards and addressing infrastructure needs. My concern is that the 
Republican leadership, after trying to make the deepest education cuts 
in history last year, are now emphasizing vouchers to pay for private 
schools as the way to reform our education system.
  In my opinion, vouchers will not help public schools; just the 
opposite. They will drain away resources that can be used to improve 
public school standards and rebuild crumbling or overcrowded schools.
  Americans overwhelmingly support the Democratic commitment to public 
schools. They want to make public schools safer, improve the quality of 
teachers, and get parents more involved in education. Let us not walk 
away from the public schools, but let us try to improve them. That is 
the Democratic Party position.

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