[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 129 (Wednesday, September 24, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H7737]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        OPPOSE GORTON AMENDMENT IN INTEREST OF PUBLIC EDUCATION

  (Mr. BLAGOJEVICH asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BLAGOJEVICH. Mr. Speaker, Abraham Lincoln said that the most 
important commitment we as a people can make is to public education. 
Yet there are forces here in Congress who would undermine that 
commitment. Programs like the Safe and Drug-Free Schools Act, which 
provides local school districts with security guards, installs metal 
detectors and teaches children about the dangers of drugs and gangs are 
in jeopardy. If the Gorton amendment passes, not a single Federal 
dollar would be guaranteed to fund that program.
  Mr. Speaker, college is not for everyone. The School To Work Program 
is designed to help students make the transition from high school to 
work. If the Gorton amendment passes, not a single Federal dollar would 
be guaranteed to help students make that transition.
  More than ever, as we approach the 21st century, our children rely on 
computers to prepare them for the high-tech world. If the Gorton 
amendment passes, not a single Federal dollar would be there to help 
them have computers and technology in their classrooms.
  We must not allow this to happen. Let us make our schools safe and 
drug-free, let us give our high school graduates employment options, 
and let us oppose the Gorton amendment and redouble our efforts to 
public education.

                          ____________________