Ehrlich on Washington column, August 21, 2000

MEWS FROM Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. Second Congressional District of Maryland 1 407 York Road, Suite 304 Lutherville, Maryland 21093 EHRLICH ON WASHINGTON By Congressman Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. 315 Cannon House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 Week of August 21, 2000 Back to School for Students and Congress As we move into fall and begin a new school year, many are focusing on education and our challenges facing our children in the 21st century. As a father, I understand and appreciate the value of an excellent education and am glad to know Kendel and I do not have to face the challenges alone. My colleagues and I in the Republican-led Congress are helping, too. We value education as a fundamental commitment to all Americans and see investment in education as an investment in our children’s and America’s future. We understand families today want a learning-friendly environment for their children with safe schools and excellent teachers and resources. As your congressman, I am working to ensure Congress follows through on its commitments. I have spent the congressional August recess speaking with parents, students, and teachers about their needs. They reinforced in me that we are doing the right things in Congress. For instance, during the 106"’ Congress, we passed The Straight A’s Act, offering states the opportunity to focus their education resources on student needs and not on complying with burdensome federal mandates. We also passed legislation assisting parents who invest in Education Savings Accounts by raising the limits on tax-free contributions that pay for tuition, tutoring, books, and computers for their kids from $500 to $2,000. We passed the Teacher Empowerment Act, giving schools more funding flexibility to train, develop, and test teachers to improve student performance, and the Dollars to the Classroom Act required 95% of federal education dollars go directly to the classroom. Congress passed the Students Results Act, providing students in failing schools public school choice, and we implemented teacher quality standards and increased funding for Title I schools. Our work is not done; we still have several historic bills to pass this year. Congress now is working on the Literacy Involves Families Together (LIFT) Act, which dedicates $500 million for literacy programs across the country. We are also poised to pass the Opportunities to Protect and Invest in our Nation’s Students (OPTIONS) Act, which provides over $700 million for technology in schools, reinforces the Safe and Drug free Schools program, and rewards innovative education program strategies in schools. The enactment of this legislation will mean