[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 108 (Tuesday, August 4, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H7007]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       EDUCATION SAVINGS ACCOUNTS

  (Mr. GIBBONS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GIBBONS. Mr. Speaker, I do not recall precisely what I was doing 
July 21, but I do recall that I was not celebrating the passage of the 
Education Savings Accounts, a middle-class and low-income initiative 
that would have given millions of parents hope, hope for their 
children's future that they do not now have.
  I did not celebrate because President Clinton vetoed that legislation 
on July 21. And the only people who were celebrating that day were here 
in Washington D.C.
  That is right, the Washington bureaucrats and the special interests 
who were responsible for the failed schools in the first place, who 
were responsible for the need for this legislation, they were 
celebrating already. They rejoiced in their ability to avoid real 
reform for one more year.
  Schools which are laden with education malpractice will continue to 
avoid accountability. Children who graduate from these schools lacking 
even a basic competency in math and reading will continue to hold back 
any nation that is leading the world in science, technology, and 
innovation.
  Yes, for the special interests and Washington bureaucrats, it was a 
time to celebrate. But for the children whose lives are clouded by the 
lack of hope, it is a sad day indeed.

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