[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 145 (Tuesday, October 13, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H10674]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              FEDERALIZING SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION IS BAD IDEA

  (Mr. PETERSON of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PETERSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, is the President's school 
construction program a good idea or is it a gift to his urban fund-
raising friends?
  There are 15,600 school districts in America. Half the money is 
designated for 100 urban poor. There are urban poor, but there are 
rural poor, too. There are 1,000 rural poor school districts with no 
funding.
  The other half of the money is available to additional urban poor 
districts. You can bet his urban fund-raising friends will receive the 
majority of those funds, too, and 15,400 rural school districts across 
America will receive nothing.
  Federalizing school construction will delay by several years the 
ability to construct the schools, will increase the cost, and only help 
the President's fund-raising friends.

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