[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 92 (Wednesday, July 7, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Page S7754]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. KENNEDY:
  S. 2617. A bill making supplemental appropriation for the Department 
of Education for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2004, and for 
other purposes; to the Committee on Appropriations.
  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, the bipartisan No Child Left Behind Act 
enacted two years ago contains the right set of education reforms for 
America's public schools. It raises academic standards and calls for 
better teachers and smaller classes. It supports periodic testing for 
all children, so that teachers can assess learning needs early, before 
major problems develop. It also calls for supplemental services and 
after-school programs for children who are lagging behind academically. 
It focuses schools on the hardest-to-teach children, and holds schools 
accountable for the performance of all children, whatever their race or 
background.
  These basic principles in the No Child Left Behind Act have broad 
bipartisan support. But as we all know, reforms without the resources 
needed to implement them cannot succeed. Since the law was enacted in 
2002, the Bush administration has consistently withheld the resources 
needed to fulfill the basic promises of the Act. The Administration's 
budget for the coming fiscal year leaves 4.6 million children behind. 
It underfunds the President's school reform law by over $9.4 billion.
  Even worse, because of the administration's low priority for 
education, over 7,500 school districts received notice last week that 
their Federal funds under the No Child Left Behind Act will be cut back 
this fall. As a result, thousands of school districts across the nation 
won't even be able to maintain their current quality of education, let 
alone improve it. Schools that serve the neediest children will be hurt 
the most.
  Every school district in Massachusetts faces a cut in Federal 
education funding this fall. The city of Lawrence has a 27 percent 
poverty rate, and it faces a $1.2 million cut in school aid. It can't 
afford the loss of 20 teachers. The city of Springfield has a 28 
percent poverty rate. It faces a cut of $1.4 million, which means that 
over 1,000 needy children won't get the supplemental services they're 
counting on. We cannot in good conscience allow these cuts to go 
forward.
  Today, Congressman George Miller in the House of Representatives and 
I are introducing ``The No Child Left Behind Appropriations Support Act 
of 2004'' to provide $237 million in emergency resources needed this 
fall to stop the cuts called for by the Administration in funds for 
school reform. Over 70 Members of Congress have now joined our letter 
to the Appropriations Committees requesting that emergency funds be 
provided. With deep and widespread cuts in local education funds, it 
will be much more difficult to achieve the school reforms that are so 
urgently needed in communities across the country.
  Clearly, Congress needs to act. I urge my colleagues on both sides of 
the aisle to join in seeing that these critically needed resources are 
made available to our schools.
  I ask unanimous consent that the text of this bill be printed in the 
Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                S. 2617

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``No Child Left Behind 
     Appropriations Support Act of 2004''.

     SEC. 2. SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATION.

       (a) Appropriation.--To carry out this Act, out of any money 
     in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, there is 
     appropriated $237,000,000, to remain available until 
     expended, for the Department of Education for the fiscal year 
     ending September 30, 2004.
       (b) Payments.--In addition to amounts otherwise provided to 
     a local educational agency under subpart 2 of part A of title 
     I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
     U.S.C. 6331 et seq.) for fiscal year 2004, the Secretary of 
     Education shall make a payment in an amount determined under 
     subsection (c) to each local educational agency that receives 
     a lesser amount of funds for fiscal year 2004 under such 
     subpart than the agency received for fiscal year 2003.
       (c) Determination of Amount.--The amount of a payment to a 
     local educational agency under this Act shall be equal to the 
     amount of the difference between--
       (1) the amount the agency would otherwise receive for 
     fiscal year 2004 under subpart 2 of part A of title I of the 
     Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
     6331 et seq.); and
       (2) the amount the agency received for fiscal year 2003 
     under such subpart.
       (d) Definition.--In this Act, the term ``local educational 
     agency'' has the meaning given to that term in section 9101 
     of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
     U.S.C. 7801).
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