[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 3]
[House]
[Pages 4059-4060]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        VOTE YES ON ED FLEX BILL

  (Mr. GIBBONS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GIBBONS. Mr. Speaker, Republicans and my colleagues on the left 
know that the biggest and best investment we can make as a nation is in 
the proper education of our children. But one of the greatest debates 
that is taking place in Washington right now concerns the future of our 
children's education and how scarce Federal education dollars can most 
effectively and efficiently be spent to improve that education.
  I ask, should the money of hardworking parents be left in the pockets 
of Washington bureaucrats, and should every important decision be left 
to the red tape bureaucrats in Washington to develop the plan to 
educate our children in our schools across America? Of course not. We 
all know the answer. Local control wins out over Washington 
bureaucracy. As a parent, I know. I want the best education possible 
for my children. And I envision a national goal on education, a goal 
that offers every child in America the best education possible. The 
Republican plan puts our teachers, our parents and our school boards in 
the education

[[Page 4060]]

driver's seat. Mr. Speaker, the ed flex bill gets us closer, closer to 
letting our parents, teachers, schools and communities accomplish this 
goal by reaching a higher standard of learning.

                          ____________________