[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 38 (Wednesday, March 10, 1999)]
[House]
[Page H1077]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1015
            SUPPORT MILLER-KILDEE AMENDMENT TO ED FLEX BILL

  (Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, later today Members 
will have an opportunity to vote on the Miller-Kildee amendment to the 
ed flex bill which will provide for stronger accountability on behalf 
of the States. We will be voting later this year to send the States $50 
billion additional in title I moneys. We have sent them $120 billion 
over the last decade, and the results at best are mixed. In some cases 
they are shameful. We need to have accountability. The Miller-Kildee 
amendment simply does what George W. Bush did in Texas. He told the 
Federal Government in exchange for flexibility, I am willing to set the 
following standards, all children in Texas or 90 percent of the 
children in Texas will pass the State exam in 5 years, 90 percent of 
the African Americans, 90 percent of the Hispanics and 90 percent of 
the poor children. I do not know what the governor of my State could 
say and I do not know what the governor of Louisiana or New York could 
say, but they ought to be able to tell us what their goals for 
achievement are, how they will measure them. No longer should the 
Federal Government continue to enable lax accountability for our 
children's education.

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