[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 54 (Thursday, May 4, 2000)]
[House]
[Page H2553]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 CONGRESS MUST PASS SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION

  (Mr. ETHERIDGE asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I would also like to acknowledge and 
congratulate the Quinns.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of the more than 53 million 
children across this country that right now are attending school in our 
Nation's classrooms. That is more students than at the height of the 
Baby Boom and there will be more next year.
  Unfortunately, too many of our children are stuffed into trailers, 
closets, cramped bathrooms, overcrowded and substandard facilities. Our 
schools are literally bursting at the seams.
  For more than 2 years, I tried to pass my school construction bill to 
provide tax credits to help local communities build quality schools for 
our children. But the Republican leadership has refused to allow this 
essential legislation to pass. The same Republican leadership that has 
tried to eliminate the Department of Education, slash school lunches, 
refuses to pass this modest bill to build just a few schools for our 
children.
  This same leadership has constantly pushed private school vouchers, 
block grants, and even antipublic school bills that have suffered from 
time to time.
  Fortunately, Mr. Speaker, a bipartisan group of Members have come 
together to support a common sense compromise to school construction 
legislation. The Johnson-Rangel bill will pay the interest on about 
$24.8 billion worth of school construction bonds across this country. I 
urge my colleagues to support it.

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