[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 54 (Thursday, May 4, 2000)]
[House]
[Page H2555]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               EDUCATION

  (Mr. UDALL of Colorado asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, the time has come for Congress to 
reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. With this act 
we have the opportunity to make significant progress towards repairing 
and modernizing schools, reducing class size, and ensuring that our 
classrooms are healthy and safe learning environments.
  Too many schools are stressed by population growth and crumbling 
infrastructure. Our average school is 42 years old. While money cannot 
solve problems in all of our schools, I believe matching our talk about 
the importance of education with an appropriate level of funding would 
go a long way towards improving classroom resources, reducing class 
size, and giving kids the space and tools they need to learn well.
  Yesterday, the House passed the IDEA Full Funding Act. This bill is 
an important step towards honoring the commitment that we have made at 
the Federal level to share an important part of the resources needed at 
the local level.
  Mr. Speaker, time is running short for Congress to complete its work. 
The stage is set for Congress to make meaningful improvements in the 
area of class size reduction and school facilities repair and 
modernization. We should not let this opportunity pass us by. We need 
to act soon.

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