[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 149 (Thursday, October 30, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H9732]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          VOUCHERS ARE FIRST STEP TO DISMANTLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS

  (Mr. PALLONE asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I have listened to the last two speeches by 
my Republican colleagues. I have to say I am truly amazed at the pace 
of the Republican leadership's antipublic education drive. The 
Republicans are determined this fall to make every effort to drain 
resources from public schools and funnel Federal dollars into private 
schools.
  A few weeks ago the Republicans narrowly passed a bill to force 
vouchers on the D.C. schools. Today, amazingly, they will try to bring 
their voucher experiment into schools throughout the country, and they 
are paying for it with Federal dollars that should be used to improve 
the public schools.
  Mr. Speaker, vouchers are just the first step in a Republican effort 
to dismantle the public schools. Since taking control of Congress, the 
Republican leadership has repeatedly tried to shut down the Education 
Department and slash funding for public schools.
  Democrats want to improve the public schools rather than tear them 
down. We put forward an agenda for first-class public schools that 
included money for school construction, purchases for computers. Let's 
improve the public schools. Do not let the Republicans tear them down.

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