[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 82 (Wednesday, June 13, 2001)]
[House]
[Page H3080]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          SCHOOL MODERNIZATION

  (Mr. RODRIGUEZ asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. RODRIGUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise to ask all Members, both 
Republican and Democrats, to sign up on the discharge petition to make 
sure that our kids throughout this country have an opportunity to have 
a modernized classroom.
  Most of our schools throughout this country are 50 to 60 years old. 
If any of my colleagues live in a home like I live in, a home that is 
also 50 to 60 years old, where I had to go back and redo the wiring, we 
need to make sure the wiring for the technology is there in our 
schools. We need to make sure that those youngsters have access to good 
quality care and a good education.
  One of the realities is that as baby boomers, and we were the largest 
generation and these facilities were there for us to make sure that we 
had access to good education, now it is up to us to look and consider 
now the next largest generation, the baby echo, and make sure that 
those youngsters have access to good quality care and good quality 
education.
  In terms of the needs, as we look, we want to make sure that this is 
one of the main priorities throughout the country. I know we recognize 
that that is important, but we have not put the resources where they 
should be. So I ask that my colleagues sign up on the discharge 
petition and force the Congress to come up on this major piece of 
legislation.

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