Repeal of Doggett amendment clears way for approval of Texas funds
Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN Texas Gov. Rick Perry today welcomed the decision by the U.S. Department of Education to approve the states application for $830 million in federal funding for Texas schools which had been stalled in Washington for the past nine months as a result of an anti-Texas provision written by U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett that singled out Texas and attempted to force Gov. Perry to violate the Texas Constitution in order to receive these funds.
Today is a victory for Texas schools that have been waiting for these well-deserved federal funds for far too long" Gov. Perry said. Thanks to our persistent efforts including those of U.S. Rep. Michael Burgess Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison Sen. John Cornyn and other dedicated members of the Texas Congressional delegation along with House Speaker John Boehner this funding will soon be flowing to the school teachers and schoolchildren of Texas."
Texas had previously been prevented from obtaining its share of these federal funds for Texas schools as a result of an amendment from Rep. Doggett to the 2010 federal education jobs bill (H.R. 1586) that treated Texas differently from every other state and attempted to require Gov. Perry to make assurances that would violate the Texas Constitution. Rep. Doggetts anti-Texas amendment was subsequently repealed by a provision included in the federal budget bill passed by Congress and signed into law earlier this month.
For months I worked with Sen. Hutchison to repeal the Doggett language and today Gov. Perry told me Texas did receive the funding from the Department of Education" Rep. Burgess said. Today our schoolchildren and teachers received the funding they should have never been denied."
I am pleased that the U.S. Department of Education has approved our application for $830 million in funding for education" Texas Education Commissioner Robert Scott said. These funds will provide much needed funding for our schools as they prepare their budgets for the coming year and will help retain thousands of Texas teacher jobs."
