|
BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA -- (Senate - November 20, 2004) GPO's PDF
---
Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, in a bit we will be wrapping up. There is a lot of business that is being tended to and it will probably be 30 minutes or so before we officially wrap up. I thought I would address several issues that have come to my attention over the last several days and cover some of the events that have occurred earlier this week.
The first is an issue that leads from what we learned earlier this week when the Department of Defense warned American military bases worldwide to cease officially sponsoring the Boy Scouts of America.
The Department issued its directive in response to a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union. The Illinois chapter of the ACLU accuses the U.S. Government of improperly supporting a group which administers a religious oath. The ACLU's legal attack has forced the Defense Department to suspend its decades long tradition of supporting Scouts and it may even prevent Scouts from celebrating their annual jamborees on Defense installations. But it does not stop here.
There is fresh evidence that the ACLU intends to end all Federal support for the Boy Scouts of America. In their view, where there is Government, there cannot be faith. The separation of church and state is a bedrock principle of our Republic, and Americans are grateful that we are free to worship as we choose without Government interference or fear of persecution. But to this legislator, the ACLU's continued attacks on the Boy Scouts is starting to become its own form of persecution.
The Boy Scouts of America is a congressionally chartered organization. It serves a patriotic, charitable, and educational purpose. Furthermore, its support by the Federal Government is outlined in U.S. law. I was a Boy Scout as a young boy in Nashville, TN. All three of my sons, Harrison, Jonathan, and Bryan, have been Boy Scouts here as we have lived in Washington, DC.
We have found, and it is generally accepted, that Boy Scouts and Scouting is a noble tradition, an honorable tradition, that inculcates the very best of our values. Since its founding in the early 20th century, scouting has served America's communities and families with distinction and with honor. The Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts promote character in leadership by instilling in our youth values such as honor, duty, charity, integrity. These programs help prepare our young people for the ethical and moral choices that they will face throughout our lives.
It is for these reasons that I introduced a bill called the Save Our Scouts bill to reaffirm our longstanding commitment to the tradition of scouting. The legislation stipulates that no Federal law, including any rule, regulation, directive, instruction, or order shall be construed to limit any Federal agency from providing any form of support to the Boy Scouts of America or Girl Scouts of the United States of America or any organization chartered by the Boy Scouts of America or the Girl Scouts of the United States of America.
Activities supported include holding meetings, jamborees, camporees, or other Scouting activities on
Federal property, or hosting or sponsoring any official event of such organization.
I am disappointed that this bill did not pass by unanimous consent, but I am hopeful that in the next Congress common sense will prevail and both Chambers will give their unanimous support to protecting the Scouts.
Scouting has served generations of American boys and girls. It has earned its place in the hearts of millions of Americans who look back fondly, just as I do, on that special time of merit badges, hikes, fellowship, and service. I am confident that we will preserve this honorable tradition for years and generations to come.
INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES ACT OF 2004
On a separate issue, late last night a very important bill called the Individuals with Disabilities Act of 2004 passed and is now on its way to the President's desk for his signature. Several years ago, I had the opportunity in this body to chair what was then called the Subcommittee on Individuals with Disabilities, and over that Congress, that 2-year period, spent a great deal of time focused on this particular legislation called IDEA, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
I commend the Senators from New Hampshire and Massachusetts who have done a tremendous job in their bipartisan work on this very important legislation. There are more than 6.5 million children with disabilities who are served through IDEA, along with more than 430,000 special education teachers. The Individuals with Disabilities Act of 2004 carefully addresses the needs of those disabled children and the schools they attend.
The bill refocuses Federal law on outcomes for disabled children, ensuring that States focus on academic results, not process, while still guaranteeing the rights of the child to be protected.
GPO's PDF
Teachers are now burdened with hours of paperwork that take away from classroom instruction. I have seen the paperwork requirement. Teachers have shown me stacks of forms that are 6 inches, even a foot high, page after page. They are required to complete these forms before they can take care of the needs of those disabled students.
This bill enables those teachers to devote more of their time and more of their energy to the classroom, and in turn their students benefit from more of their undivided attention. The attention is on the students with disabilities rather than on paper.
The staff of Senators GREGG and KENNEDY deserve great credit for their hard work and effort that made final passage of this conference report possible. In particular, I recognize the tremendous work of staff members Denzel McGuire and Connie Gardner for their commitment, their dedication and labor on behalf of disabled students.
As I mentioned, it was late last night that that bill passed, and it is on the way to the President, again a tremendous achievement for this body. I congratulate the chairman and the ranking member on the success of this bill.
http://thomas.loc.gov |
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
