Senate Proceeding on Feb 26th, 2009 :: 3:15:05 to 3:24:40
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3:15:04 to 3:15:27( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: objection. mr. voinovich: mr. p today i speak as a member of the united states s the former chairman and now ranking member of the oveight of government management, the federal work force, and the district of columbia. so i've had a relationship with the district f quite some

3:15:05 to 3:24:40( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: George Voinovich

3:15:28 to 3:15:49( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: period of time and have been very, very interested in the district and also in the district's reaching out in terms of providing a quality education for the boys and girls that live in the district. understanding that this is the nation's capital and it should be the shining stow a hill --

3:15:50 to 3:16:10( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: shing city on a hill where people can come from all over america and see the very best that we have here in our country in terms of educational opportunities. and i also feel to see the opportunity that people have to have rights to vote.

3:16:11 to 3:16:32( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: and so as a result of my concern about the ways to rectify the lack of voting representation for the district, i have approached this bill with the belief that the citizens who pay taxes and serve in the military shou have house representation so long as such representation conforms to the constitution. although a constitutional amendment would provide the clearest constitutional means to

3:16:33 to 3:16:53( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: ensure district residents they're provided with house representation, after studying the legal argument, i've concluded -- legal arguments, i've considered there sufficient inaddition and precedent that the district's district clause grants congress the constitutional authority to give the district a house member. as for any arguments that the bill's unconstitutionanal, i need only to say that i believe such

3:16:54 to 3:17:15( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: ambiguity and disagreement will be resolved courts. after weighing the constitutional arguments and the equities, i decided to support this legislation. in fact, i'm a cosponsor of this legislation on one condition, we must also ton give t the district -- continue to give the families of the district a vote -- a vote -- on how their children are educated.

3:17:16 to 3:17:37( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: on how their children are educated. according, i am fraud join senator ensign in offering an amendment to rethighs the district of columbia scholar -- reauthorize the district of columbia scholarship program for another year. perhaps one may wonder why am so i concerned about this and it's because of the fact that when i

3:17:38 to 3:17:58( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: was governor of ohio, we started the scholarship program in ohio for children who are not residents -- are not members of the public school. and -- and that experiment has worked to the benefit of

3:17:59 to 3:18:19( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: thousands of children, particularly in the c district, who've gone through the system, are now in che college and i meet them and they say without this cleveland scholarship p an opportunity or choice to go to another school, i don't believe i'd be in college today and be as successful as i have been. when i instituted that program, it was -- it was said it was

3:18:20 to 3:18:41( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: unconstitutional. and i'm pleased to say that several year years ago, the united states supreme court said that providing scholar sthoips non-public -- scholarships to non-public school systems fit in with the constitution of our country. and when we had an to help the district, we provided $14 million for public schools, $14 million for

3:18:42 to 3:19:02( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: charters, and $14 million for the scholarship program. it's a critical component of a three-sector education strategy to provide a quality education to every child in the district, regardless o neighborhood. the program provides up to $7,500 per student to fund tuition fees and transportation

3:19:03 to 3:19:24( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: expenses for k-12 for low-income d.c. families. and to qualify, the students must live in the district and have a household income of no more than 185% of the federal poverty level $39,000 per family for a family of four. in fact, the average income for families using the scholarships in 2008 was just $24,000.

3:19:25 to 3:19:45( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: since its inception, the program has served over 2,600 students and they've got about would like to get in the program but they don't have -- they don't have a place for the entering students had average math and reading test scores in the bottom third. a recent evaluation of the department of education

3:19:46 to 3:20:06( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: reaffirms academic gains among after receiving a scholarship and so they're benefiting from it. but we still need mor and i'd like to underscore that this whole package that we put together. many members of this body are unaware of the fact that today the people who live in the district can go to any public

3:20:07 to 3:20:27( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: college in the united states and we provide up to $10,000 for out-of-state tuition. they're not aware of the fact that don graham over at the "washington post" got the business community together and set up the washington scholarship program, the "cap" program and youngsters are available for $2,500. that the gates foundation thinks so much of what we are -- what's

3:20:28 to 3:20:48( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: happening in the district that they provided another $120 million to keep kids in districts, drop-out districts in the district of columbia. and that there's some wonderful things happening in the district district, and yet -- and yet there are some people here,

3:20:49 to 3:21:09( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: because of special interest groups, that want to do away with the scholarship program, that want to deny these children opportunity to have this educational opportunity, the smorgasboard that we have available to them. so what

3:21:10 to 3:21:32( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: it extends for one year that we continue the program as we look at it and see how it goes through its metamorphose. and i have to say this, that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle and this side of the aisle, if you really think -- if you really want to do something that's really disastrous to the kids in the district in terms of public relations and the interest of all these people in

3:21:33 to 3:21:54( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: the district is to go ahead and make it impossible for this program to kee think about this. the gates foundation, "cap" -- program -- things are -- the college assistance program -- great in the district today, and what a terrible message it would send

3:21:55 to 3:22:15( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: those that really care about education in the district if we were to this experiment to continue in the district. and i'd like to ask that two 26th -- monday the january

3:22:16 to 3:22:36( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: 26th titled "school vouchers: district parents know why the program should continue." the demand is tremendous for it. they want it. and one just recently, "hoping no one notices: congressional democrats step between 1,800 d.c. children and a good education." and do you know who it's because? it's because of the national education association.

3:22:37 to 3:22:59( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: they don't want it to happen. they fought it in my -- in my state. the ohio school boards fought it it. and i'll never forget going up for an endorsement in i ran last time. when i flan 1998, i got support from the ohio education support. they said no governor's done more for education than george voinov

3:23:00 to 3:23:20( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: so i came to washington -- they kind of forgave me for the scholarship program in cleveland. they just kind of let that go. 2004 came along, i went through the whole endorsement procedure, did everything. and after it was over with, many people came up to me george, you absolutely did a fabulous job of your presentation about what you're trying to do for education on the national level and your

3:23:21 to 3:23:41( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: concern about it. but we got the word from washington, you're not going to be endorsed br scholarships, you supported an opportunity for kids to -- to have another opportunity to go to school and to try something new.

3:23:42 to 3:24:02( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: and i wan to say this to you, that in this country of ours, we cannot survive with half the kids in our urban districts dropping out of school. and i'm glad that the president spoke about it in his state of the union. i'm glad that the president talked about charter schools. but the real question is: is he going to stand up and

3:24:03 to 3:24:24( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: democrats on the other side of the aisle and some republicans going to stand up to the national education association, the national school boards association and some of these groups that want to keep things just as they are? and i'm going to tell you something, we'll never make and so i'd like everybody to understand that i'm for this bill, voting rights, but i'm not

3:24:25 to 3:24:40( Edit History Discussion )

George Voinovich: going to support this bill unless i'm convinced that we're going to have an opportunity to debate this issue here in the united states senate and keep this program going for the boys and girls that are benefiting from it, the same kind of program that benefited so many thousands of people in the state