S-2435.1                   _______________________________________________

                                            SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL 8024

                              _______________________________________________

State of Washington                              53rd Legislature                             1993 Regular Session

By Senators Talmadge, Pelz, Prentice and Moore

Read first time 03/23/93.  Referred to Committee on Education.

Requesting the reordering of federal spending priorities towards education.

          TO THE HONORABLE BILL CLINTON, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AND TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES, IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED:

          We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Washington, in legislative session assembled, respectfully represent and petition as follows:

          WHEREAS, The Washington State Legislature is committed to offering every child in our state the opportunity for a quality education; and

          WHEREAS, Our nation's success in the post-Cold War era will depend on the ability of America's public schools to educate each and every child; and

          WHEREAS, No single state and no single school district has the financial capacity to both build a quality education program for the twenty-first century and overcome the social and economic problems that prevent students from coming to school ready to learn; and

          WHEREAS, The end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union offer our nation a once-in-a-generation opportunity to rethink our national priorities; and

          WHEREAS, Our competitors in the global marketplace invest more tax dollars on children and elementary and secondary education than does the United States; and

          WHEREAS, Federal budget savings made possible by the end of the Cold War could be used to rebuild American education and ensure that every child comes to school healthy and ready to learn; and

          WHEREAS, Investment in physical capital, human resources, and technology would position the United States for the challenges of the twenty-first century; and

          WHEREAS, The national organizations that represent people at the local level who care deeply about education--the National School Boards Association, the National Parent Teacher Association, the National Association of Elementary School Principals, the American Association of School Administrators, the Council of Great City Schools, the National Education Association, and the American Federation of Teachers--have jointly called for new federal budget priorities that reflect post-Cold War realities;

          NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectfully pray that the federal government reinvest in America.  We join school districts and local and state governments all across America in urging Congress and the President to reorder federal spending priorities with the goals of ensuring that every child comes to school healthy and ready to learn and that every child receives a quality education.

          BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted to the Honorable Bill Clinton, President of the United States, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and each member of Congress from the State of Washington.

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