[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 112 (Friday, July 25, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1651]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      SCHOOL READINESS ACT OF 2003

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                             HON. TOM UDALL

                             of new mexico

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 24, 2003

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 2210) to 
     authorize the Head Start Act to improve the school readiness 
     of disadvantaged children, and for other purposes:

  Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong 
opposition to H.R. 2210. If you're looking for a way to dismantle a 
proven, beneficial, effective program, then this bill is for you.
  The Head Start program has been a success for nearly 40 years. During 
that time, it has served over 20 million children. In fact, there are 
members in this House that were Head Start children who attest to the 
program's success. Instead of passing this bill, which could 
potentially increase class size, cut off services to 3-year-olds, and 
eliminate crucial health services, we should be improving Head Start by 
fully funding it.
  Thousands of children in my district attend the Head Start program. 
To be exact 3,023 children in Northern New Mexico could be affected by 
this bill. Of those children, 86 percent live in families that have 
incomes below the federal poverty line. Ninety percent receive basic 
health care and are twice as likely as other low-income children to 
receive basic medical care. We have 60 Head Start centers in my 
district, and 162 classrooms. Passage of this bill means an unknown 
future for these children. Will the quality of their education be put 
in jeopardy? Will they continue to receive medical care? Will their 
teachers be hired on a discriminatory basis?
  We must not ignore the successful history of the Head Start program. 
If we really want to improve the program, we should fully fund the 
program to expand access to all eligible preschoolers, improve access 
to Migrant and Seasonal Head Start, improve teacher quality by 
requiring that more teachers get bachelor's degrees, and enhance Head 
Start's focus on pre-literacy, language, and pre-math skills.
  Groups in my district that oppose passage of this bill include the 
Jicarilla Apache Nation, the Pueblo of Isleta, and the Pueblo of Acoma. 
National groups opposing this bill include the NAACP, the National 
Education Foundation, the ACLU, the Coalition Against Religious 
Discrimination, the National League of Cities, and Catholic Charities 
USA, among many others. This long and diverse list is proof of the many 
problems with this bill.
  I cannot conclude my statement without expressing my concern that 
this is a disturbing pattern for the Majority on education. Numerous 
programs--Head Start, college aid, public school education--are in 
danger of being dismantled. I will continue to defend programs that are 
proven to work, fight to fully fund those programs, and oppose efforts 
to dismantle them. This bill is no exception and I urge a no vote.

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