[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 115 (Thursday, September 12, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1561]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     EDUCATION SAVINGS AND SCHOOL EXCELLENCE PERMANENCE ACT OF 2002

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                               speech of

                           HON. DENNIS MOORE

                               of kansas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, September 4, 2002

  Mr. MOORE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my great concern with 
provisions of H.R. 5203.
  Supporters of this legislation will tell you it shows their support 
for the education of our children. I believe that if Congress is 
serious about supporting elementary and secondary education, we should 
fully fund the provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act passed 
overwhelmingly last year. The President's budget not only fails to 
provide all the funding authorized for this legislation, it actually 
cuts funding for these programs by $90 million from the 2002 enacted 
level, to $22.1 billion for 2003. This is $4.2 billion below the $26.3 
billion authorized for 2002.
  Mr. Speaker, every member of the House has heard from their local 
school districts how the unfunded mandate of the special education law 
leaves them struggling to balance the books. I voted for the No Child 
Left Behind Act and I made a commitment to my local school districts 
that I would do everything in my power to ensure that this new law is 
fully funded.
  Unfortunately, the bill before us today will divert funds from the 
commitments we made when passing the No Child Left Behind Act in favor 
of initiatives for which there is no strong consensus. For example, the 
Coverdell Savings Account provisions of this bill could divert scarce 
resources from our public school system, a system that serves over 90% 
of our nation's kids. These Education Savings Accounts (ESA) provide 
tax breaks, equivalent to vouchers, for private schools. ESA's drain 
funds from the treasury that could be used for other purposes--
including full funding of the No Child Left Behind Act. Further, ESAs 
offer no real choice to low-income families, who do not have the funds 
to put aside for private school, or families with disabled kids, who 
can still be turned down by private schools.
  Mr. Speaker, while I am concerned with the affect certain provisions 
of this bill will have on scarce public school funds, I do support 
several provisions in this bill. I have long supported efforts to 
expand the student loan interest deduction. This policy affirms my 
belief in the importance of higher education to our nation's future and 
my hope that the opportunities of college can be made more affordable 
to more individuals. I also support legislation that would help local 
communities with school construction and renovation needs. The average 
age of school buildings in my congressional district is 30 years, and 
25% of my schools use portable classrooms. The need is great in both 
areas, and during my time in office I have actively worked to address 
these problems. It is regrettable that I was unable to support this 
bill due to the unfortunate legislative vehicle chosen and that it was 
brought to the floor by the majority in their zeal to vote yet again 
for school vouchers.
  Finally, I am opposing this bill because it was brought to the floor 
under an unfair procedure that prevents the consideration of any 
amendments and even a motion to recommit. Perhaps if the majority had 
utilized the regular order of the committee process, members like me 
would have had an opportunity to have our concerns addressed and this 
legislation, stripped of its controversial elements, could have passed 
the House overwhelmingly.

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