[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 64 (Wednesday, April 29, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S4840]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     SENATOR BENNET'S MAIDEN SPEECH

  Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, I congratulate the Senator from 
Colorado on what we call in the Senate his maiden address. I also had 
the privilege of hearing Senator Udall's speech when he made his on 
renewable energy. I was glad to hear these today.
  The Senator from Colorado has focused on a subject he has worked on 
hard and which is central to every part of our ability to improve our 
schools. It is one recognized by our new Education Secretary who, I 
think, is President Obama's best new appointee. It is the question of 
how do we reward outstanding teaching.
  Every time we deal with education, we are ultimately reminded that it 
boils down to the parent and the teacher. What the parent cannot do, 
the teacher has to step in and finish. In so many cases, whether it is 
a gifted child or a child who hasn't been read to at home or a child 
with disabilities or a child who needs a music lesson, it takes a 
gifted teacher to do the best job to help the child reach his or her 
potential.
  We are still, as the Senator said, 50 or 60 or 70 years behind in 
recognizing that our country has changed and that women have many 
opportunities outside the home. We cannot trap them into teaching. We 
need to attract them and keep them, as well as outstanding men.
  Senator Bennet has been successful in his work in Denver and in 
finding ways to initiate that. The Secretary wants to do that. I worked 
on that in Tennessee. I have said to the Secretary of Education if he 
leaves after 4 or 8 years having left a legacy of many different ways 
of improving ways to reward outstanding teaching, he will have done 
more than all of the other secretaries of education put together.
  As Albert Shanker once said, ``If we can have master plumbers, we can 
have master teachers.''
  Again, I congratulate the Senator from Colorado for his focus on 
education in his maiden address. I was happy and privileged to be on 
the Senate floor to hear that.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Colorado is 
recognized.
  Mr. BENNET. Mr. President, I thank the Senator from Tennessee, and I 
acknowledge his great work as Secretary of Education. This is one of 
those issues on which I think Republicans and Democrats have a lot of 
work they can do together. There isn't one solution. This is a time 
when we are long overdue, and we have been short on answers. I think 
the Education Secretary is perfectly positioned to carry on the work 
that needs to be done. I look forward to working with the Senator, and 
I appreciate him enduring my speech.
  I yield the floor, and I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that 
the order for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Bennet). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. President, I also had the opportunity to 
be here presiding in the chair to hear the Senator from Colorado in his 
maiden speech. I want to congratulate him and tell him he has done an 
excellent job in the Senate, as I have observed him over the last 100 
days.
  I think Senator Bennet has hit on an issue that is important to all 
of us. If we are going to move forward as a nation, we are going to 
have to do it by focusing on education. It is heartening to see that we 
have a President, President Barack Obama, who cares about education 
with the same passion, I believe, the Senator from Colorado has.
  One of the things the Senator from Colorado noted is that we have to 
focus on teachers. He talked about a comprehensive approach, an 
approach to education that is going to move us forward in the 21st 
century. Teachers have to be a big part of it. Parents have to be a big 
part of it. As the Senator from Colorado noted, based on his work in 
Denver and in chairing the Denver education effort, if parents aren't 
involved, we are not going to be able to move forward.
  In addition, one of the big things Senator Bennet knows is, this No 
Child Left Behind law needs to be revamped. It is not doing right by 
our children. We have to take a look at that piece of legislation with 
the ideas that he mentioned and make sure we put into place a piece of 
legislation and a reauthorization that is going to empower our teachers 
and our parents and move us forward on the education front.
  Again, I just wanted to congratulate Senator Bennet. It was a great 
start with that maiden speech. I thought the exchange the Senator had 
with Senator Alexander was a good one. It shows that we can work 
together.
  Senator Bennet from Colorado has shown a bipartisanship in his first 
100 days. I very much want to congratulate him and tell him I have 
enjoyed serving with him and look forward to serving with him for a 
very long time.
  I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that all time 
under morning business be yielded back and the Senate now begin 
consideration of the conference report on the budget.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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