[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 144 (Thursday, October 23, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H9041]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    DO NOT GIVE UP ON PUBLIC SCHOOLS

  (Mr. PALLONE asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, today Speaker Gingrich will bring to the 
floor the Republican private education savings account proposal. This 
bill will do nothing to improve public schools. It is just another tax 
break for wealthy Americans to help them pay for private schools.
  We already provide tax-favored savings accounts to help parents pay 
for college education expenses, both public and private. But there is 
no reason to expand this to pay for expenses from kindergarten to 12th 
grade at private schools. The money should instead be invested to 
improve public education from K to 12.
  A Democratic alternative that will be proposed today would use the 
money for interest-free bonds made available to public schools to pay 
for school construction and repair, purchases of equipment and teacher 
training expenses.
  Madam Speaker, I would ask my colleagues on both sides of the aisle 
to support the Democratic alternative. Let us improve public education 
rather than siphon Federal dollars for private schools. Madam Speaker, 
I say to my colleagues: Do not give up on the public schools.

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