House approves delayed voucher program.The House of Representatives earlier this month approved an omnibus spending bill  This article or section may deal primarily with the U.S. and may not present a worldwide view. that contains a historic voucher A receipt or release which provides evidence of payment or other discharge of a debt, often for purposes of reimbursement, or attests to the accuracy of the accounts. proposal for the District
of Columbia District of Columbia, federal district (2000 pop. 572,059, a 5.7% decrease in population since the 1990 census), 69 sq mi (179 sq km), on the east bank of the Potomac River, coextensive with the city of Washington, D.C. (the capital of the United States). , but the Senate failed to approve the measure by unanimous
consent In parliamentary procedure, unanimous consent, also known as general consent, is a situation in which no one present objects. The chair may state, for instance: "If there is no objection, the motion will be adopted. [pause] Since there is no objection, the motion is adopted. , in effect delaying final action until after January 20.
House and Senate negotiators reached agreement last month on details of the voucher proposal. The agreement includes $14 million to provide low-income students in the District's public schools with up to $7,500 to cover tuition and fees at private schools. The program is part of a $40 million three-way package that includes $13 million in new funds for public schools and another $13 million for charter schools. But the package itself is part of a massive $820 billion consolidated appropriations bill, which in recent weeks has been the focus of considerable wrangling. Commenting on House passage of the voucher legislation, Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Boehner (R-OH R-OH Alcohol (chemistry) ), who co-sponsored the voucher amendment, said that the legislation "means new choices for thousands of low-income parents with children in the nation's most troubled public schools." Another co-sponsor, Government Reform Committee Chairman Tom Davis (RVA RVA rabies vaccine adsorbed; see rabies vaccine, under vaccine. ), said, "School choice will make a huge difference in the lives of thousands of low-income children." He said the program "represents a shot at a better education and, in turn, a better life for countless D.C. children." Series of Moves The Senate's postponement of action on the spending bill that contains the voucher language is the latest snag in a series of political and procedural moves affecting the measure since President Bush first advanced it earlier this year. The House of Representatives voted in September to approve the plan, though by a very narrow margin (209-208). Later that month, following five days of Senate debate, Republican leaders, conceding they did not have the 60 votes needed to ward off a Democratic filibuster filibuster, term used to designate obstructionist tactics in legislative assemblies. It has particular reference to the U.S. Senate, where the tradition of unlimited debate is very strong. It was not until 1917 that the Senate provided for cloture (i.e. , pulled the District of Columbia appropriations bill, which contained the Senate version of vouchers. In November, the Senate passed the D.C. appropriations bill without the school choice language, with Republican leaders promising to reinstate To restore to a condition that has terminated or been lost; to reestablish. To reinstate a case, for example, means to restore it to the same position it had before dismissal. vouchers in the omnibus spending bill. Information for this article was provided by the Council for American Private Education. |
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