[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 125 (Thursday, September 18, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1791]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  DEPARTMENTS OF LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, AND EDUCATION, AND 
               RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 1998

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                    HON. JUANITA MILLENDER-McDONALD

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 17, 1997

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 2264) making 
     appropriations for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human 
     Services, and Education, and related agencies, for the fiscal 
     year ending September 30, 1998, and for other purposes:


  Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Chairman, I rise to join my colleagues, 
Mr. Burton of Indiana and Ms. DeGette, in celebrating the democracy 
that makes this Nation so unique. I join my colleagues in their efforts 
to strengthen the invaluable education that is provided by the We the 
People Program.
  It is so critical that we raise our children to understand the 
pillars upon which this Nation was founded and still stands today. Our 
children need to know the history and principles of the Constitution 
and Bill of Rights. They need to understand how the American political 
traditions and institutions at the Federal, State, and local levels 
were created and function both in the past and present. Our children 
need to learn about the crucial steps our forefathers and mothers took 
to make this great democracy. And with this knowledge, our children 
will feel compelled to act with the civic responsibility it takes to 
make this an even stronger, greater Nation.
  Through simulated congressional hearings and a national competition 
of such hearings for secondary school students, this Nation's children 
learn how this country ever became such an envied democracy by so many 
other countries. We must ensure that every school is provided with the 
opportunity to educate students on the history of our political system 
and the need for active civic participation. I encourage my colleagues 
to join me in celebrating and enriching the democracy that defines 
America by voting for the Burton-DeGette amendment.

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