[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 145 (Friday, October 24, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2087-E2088]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            SUPPORT MORAN SUBSTITUTE TO D.C. APPROPRIATIONS

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                            HON. MAX SANDLIN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 9, 1997

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 2607) making 
     appropriations for the government of the District of Columbia 
     and other activities chargeable in whole or in part against 
     the revenues of said District for the fiscal year ending 
     September 30, 1998, and for other purposes:


  Mr. SANDLIN. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the Moran amendment 
to the D.C. appropriations bill. I find the arguments of the gentlelady 
from the District of Columbia, the members of the Congressional Black 
Caucus, and the minority members of the Appropriations Committee to be 
most persuasive. This bill breaks the rules of the House. Once again, 
the Republican majority is attempting to legislate on an appropriations 
bill. They have thrown everything but the kitchen sink into this bill. 
They cannot pass their social agenda on a national scale, so they are 
starting small with one city.
  The Moran substitute eliminates some of the more egregious provisions 
of the bill. First, it deletes the provision that establishes a new 
program to provide educational scholarships to low-income students. In 
our country, every child is guaranteed the right to a free, public 
education. We have all heard the horror stories about the terrible 
state of disrepair of the DC schools. There is no doubt about the fact 
when we have statistics from reliable sources like the GAO telling us 
that in 1996, 49 percent of the schools in the District had at least 
one building in need of extensive repair and 68 percent had at least 
one unsatisfactory environmental condition.
  Rather than aggravating the situation, we should be working to 
improve the DC public schools. Unfortunately, the misguided Republican 
Leadership has chosen to ``fix'' this problem by including a proposal 
to provide up to $3,200 per student so that 2,000 children from low-
income families could attend private schools. This plan will drain $45 
million in Federal funds away from the public schools already in dire 
straits and will do absolutely nothing for the 97 percent of students 
in the District who remain in the public schools.
  Only two private schools in DC have tuition rates lower than the 
amount provided by the ``scholarships''. This plan does not provide any 
great ``choice'' for most families in the District. It simply adds two 
schools to the many public schools they can currently choose. Those two 
schools, however, still have the option of saying ``no'' to any student 
who does not meet their standards for admission. In fact, even if they 
did not decline admission to students based on their admission 
requirements, they would have to decline admission to the large 
majority of students simply due to inadequate space.
                               __________
                               
  The public schools of the District will continue to fund facilities, 
staff, and administrative

[[Page E2088]]

support regardless of what Congress does. Instead of taking tax dollars 
out of the DC schools and placing those schools at risk of even greater 
disrepair, we must direct funds to fix the problems so all of the 
children in the District have an opportunity to learn in a safe, well-
equipped public school. The $45 million in question would be much 
better spent on school renovation, basic repairs, and improvements in 
academic performance.
  General Becton--who was appointed by the Control Board created by 
Congress only last year--is implementing a program to improve academic 
quality, corporate and community relationships, infrastructure and 
management in the District's schools. The five schools where the 
reforms are in place have shown dramatic improvement in only 6 months. 
The public schools in our Nation's capital should be a shining example 
for the rest of the country, but they will never be if we do not give 
the programs already in place a chance to work.
  Second, the Moran substitute eliminates the provisions of the 
committee bill that allow for the waiver of the Davis-Bacon Act. The 
Republicans are once again using the unions as a straw man to gain 
support for their position. They are trying to say that the Democrats 
are bowing to the pressure of the union bosses. Well, Mr. Speaker, I 
don't even know what a union boss is. The union members I know are 
hardworking men and women working for a boss. I oppose this provision 
because it just doesn't make good economic sense.
  Research has shown that construction costs in States with prevailing 
wage laws are lower than in States without such laws. In addition, 
Davis-Bacon ensures that we have a skilled workforce that produces a 
quality product that will last for many years. This year, the 
District's schools were 3 weeks late opening because of the crumbling 
schools. Why would we want the District schools to go through this 
ordeal again a few years down the road because their schools were 
rebuilt with shoddy construction?
  Third, the Moran substitute eliminates the provision that sets limits 
on punitive damages in medical malpractice suits in the District. When 
people go to the doctor, they place their trust in that doctor. They 
expect and deserve to receive competent, ethical, professional 
treatment--and most receive it. Clearly, we have the finest medical 
professionals in the world. However, when citizens are maimed or killed 
due to medical malpractice, they or their survivors deserve a remedy.
  The District ranks 45th nationwide in doctor discipline records--one 
of the worst in the country. Without an effective disciplinary board, 
punitive damages are the only means to punish physicians for egregious 
wrongs. By capping punitive damages, we dramatically reduce the ability 
of the District's civil justice system to deter wrongdoing by negligent 
doctors. The citizens of the District deserve better.
  Mr. Chairman, today I stand with the members of the Black Caucus in 
opposition to this bill. We cannot continue to ignore the needs of the 
District. Now is not the time for this ill-conceived, irresponsible 
plan to advance the Republican legislative agenda to a simple 
appropriations bill. I urge my colleagues to support the Moran 
substitute and stop this social experimentation.

                          ____________________