Committee on Education and the Workforce

Statement of Chairman Bill Goodling (R-PA)
Regarding Congressional Education Accomplishments

WASHINGTON – House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman Bill Goodling (R-PA) issued the following statement today in response to remarks by presidential candidate Al Gore:

“The Clinton-Gore Administration is responsible for a series of misguided education policies that have put the Washington-based bureaucracies ahead of children.  Al Gore is trying to blame Congress for the failure of their initiatives to gather national support.

            “The reality is that at the start of the 106^th Congress, House Republicans set out an ambitious legislative agenda that made education a top priority.  We have succeeded on many fronts, passing bipartisan bills to provide more flexibility to state and local school districts; enhance teachers’ skills, recruitment, and retainment; and focus on results from programs to aid the educationally disadvantaged.

            “Mr. Gore is mistaken about the ‘do-nothing’ label.  Rather than blaming Congress, he needs to look in the mirror and across the White House lawn to find its correct hanging spot.”

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Following is a list of major House education accomplishments in the 106^th Congress.

Major Education Accomplishments
106^th Congress

Education Flexibility Partnership Act (P.L. 106-25) – This law allows States and school districts to bypass the requirements of federal education programs so as to provide greater flexibility with accountability in trying innovative education reforms.

Fiscal Year 2000 Labor-HHS-Education Spending Bill (H.R. 3194; Passed Congress; Signed by President Into Law) – For the first time, public school choice is required for Title I students trapped in failing schools. An additional $134 million was added to the spending package to help school districts meet the new parental choice option, as well as to improve low performing Title I schools.  Parents will have the option of taking their students out of failing Title I schools and place them in other public or charter schools within the same district.

Academic Achievement for All Act (Straight A's) (H.R. 2300; Passed the House) - The bill would allow up to 10 states maximum flexibility in how they use federal K-12 funds, in exchange for states being held strictly accountable for improving academic achievement.  State participation would be optional. 

The Student Results Act (H.R. 2; Passed the House) – This legislation revises Title I (for educationally disadvantaged students) and other programs under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).  The bill provides for more accountability to parents; allows parents to transfer their children from failing Title I schools to other public and charter schools; and improves the quality of Title I teachers and teacher aides.  The bill also reforms the bilingual education program, Indian education programs, and rural education assistance in ESEA.

Teacher Empowerment Act (H.R. 1995; Passed the House) – The bill would combine funds from the Eisenhower Professional Development Program, Goals 2000, and the President’s class size reduction program to provide funds giving schools more flexibility to increase teacher quality and to hire quality teachers to reduce class size.

The IDEA Full Funding Act (H.R. 4055; Passed the House on May 3) – The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) became law in 1975 to provide children with disabilities access to a quality public education by contributing 40 percent of the average per pupil expenditure to assist states and local schools with the extra costs of educating such children.  The IDEA Full Funding Act sets a schedule for fully funding the federal government’s portion of IDEA by providing $2 billion a year increases until 2010.

The Impact Aid Reauthorization Act (H.R. 3616; Passed the House on May 15) – The bill is designed to help school districts deal with the loss of tax revenue that results from a heavy presence of federally owned land and property.

The OPTIONS Act (H.R. 4141; Passed the Committee) – The Education OPTIONS (Opportunity to Invest and Protect in Our Nation’s Students) Act is the last major piece of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) to be reauthorized by the committee.  The bill would allow states and school districts unprecedented authority to transfer federal funds among programs in ESEA to better meet their unique circumstances, including targeting students with the greatest academic needs.  The legislation also includes programs for violence and drug abuse prevention, technology in the classroom, charter schools, and several other smaller programs.

Literacy Involves Families Together (LIFT) Act (H.R. 3222; Passed the Committee) -- The LIFT Act reauthorizes and makes changes to improve the quality of family literacy services under the Even Start program.  LIFT strengthens accountability; expands the ages at which children can be served; sets standards based on scientific research; encourages coordination with other federal programs to provide better services; and provides funding for training and technical assistance to local Even Start instructors.