[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 153 (Wednesday, November 5, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H9997]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         VOUCHER PROPOSAL DEFEAT IS VICTORY FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS

  (Ms. DeLAURO asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, last night this body voted down the 
Gingrich voucher proposal. This was a great victory for America's 
public schools and a great victory, more important, for America's 
public school children. This Nation's commitment to public schools, to 
public education, is one of the cornerstones of our democratic society.
  The notion, the notion that every child, regardless of race, gender, 
station in life, is entitled to public education, that is what we have 
been about in this great Nation.
  Today our public schools do have a lot of problems. Vouchers is not 
the way to fix them. Vouchers simply provide an out for a lucky few, 
while draining precious resources that could be spent on replacing 
leaky roofs, buying new computers, or hiring new teachers. This is a 
way to take money from public education and put it to private education 
for the privileged and for the few.
  Let me congratulate my colleagues who stood up on the floor last 
night. They stood up for public education, and they voted down the 
Gingrich voucher plan.

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