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Orrin Hatch on Education
Republican Sr Senator (UT)
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More block grants; more student loans; school prayer OK
Hatch supports the following principles regarding education:- Increase funding for block grants to states to help them hire additional teachers.
- Increase funding of programs such as Pell grants and Stafford loans to help students pay for
college.
- Support federal tax incentives to help families save for college.
- Religious expression on public school property should be allowed.
Source: 2000 National Political Awareness Test
, Jan 13, 2000
Tax & savings reforms have helped make education affordable
We must address how to ensure that education is affordable to our families. In the past several years, we have done some good things to help families saving for education: allowing IRA withdrawals for education expenses, creating education savings
accounts, created tax credits for education, allowed a deduction for student loan interest, and made it easier to utilize a qualified state tuition program.
Source: Senate Statement on Education Tax
, Mar 3, 1999
Fed help for school infrastructure, but no direct spending
More and more of our school districts are crying out for help to save the infrastructure of our school systems. Too many of our school buildings are crumbling and overcrowded. But, it seems to me that there could be more creative ways of solving this
problem than another big federal direct spending program. Congress has always shied away from funding bricks and mortar. But there is a federal role in helping to finance the necessary infrastructure for education.
Source: Senate Statement on Education Tax
, Mar 3, 1999
Orrin Hatch on School Choice
More vouchers; more charter schools
Hatch supports the following principles regarding school choice:- Allow parents to use vouchers to send their children to any participating school: public, private or religious.
- Allow parents to use tax-free savings accounts to send their
children to any participating school: public, private or religious.
- Support creation of more charter schools where teachers and professionals receive authorization and funding to establish new schools.
Source: 2000 National Political Awareness Test
, Jan 13, 2000
Vouchers will cover costs under most circumstances
Q: Even with vouchers, won’t parents with limited means still be unable to send their children to the best school? A: A lot of these private schools, a lot of these parochial schools, even some of the professional schools, sometimes they can take
care of it for what the voucher will be. And many of these parents would pay the extra if they could. Public schools are great, but when they’re not working those kids ought to have a chance to walk and the voucher system will give them that chance.
Source: Phoenix Arizona GOP Debate
, Dec 7, 1999
Let parents walk away from failing schools
The federal government spends 7%of the money for education in this country and demands 50% of the paperwork - 49 million men-women hours. The best thing we can do is provide a means where these kids in the inner city
that are not getting a good education, their parents know they’re not getting a good education, to walk. If the monies aren’t enough, we should raise them so that they can be enough.
Source: Phoenix Arizona GOP Debate
, Dec 7, 1999
Voted for vouchers for violent schools & crime victims
Hatch’s voting record on School Voucher issues:- Voted YES to allow state and local educational agencies to use federal education funds to provide vouchers to students who have been the victims of violent crime to assist them in transferring to
another public, private, or religious school (S Con Res 27, 5/23/97)
- Voted YES to $30 million for a demonstration project to allow students in 20 violence-prone schools to use vouchers to move to safe schools. (S 1513, 7/27/94)
Source: Project Vote Smart -- Voting Record
, May 23, 1997
Voted for school choice for low-income kids
Hatch’s voting record on School Choice issues:- Voted YES to $30 million to provide 6 low-income school choice demonstration programs. (S 1150, 2/8/94)
- Voted YES to allow low-income students to attend private schools (school-choice plan). (S 2,
1/23/92)
- Voted AGAINST providing $5 billion for school repair and modernization efforts. (S Con Res 27, 5/22/97)
Source: Project Vote Smart -- Voting Record
, Feb 8, 1994
Voted YES on additional $10.2B for federal education & HHS projects.
Vote on the passage of the bill, the American Competitiveness Scholarship Act, the omnibus appropriations bill for the Departments of Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, and Labor. Pres. Bush then vetoed the Bill. Proponents support voting YES because:
Rep. OBEY: This bill, more than any other, determines how willing we are to make the investment necessary to assure the future strength of this country and its working families. The President has chosen to cut the investments in this bill by more than $7.5 billion in real terms. This bill rejects most of those cuts.
Opponents recommend voting NO because:
Rep. LEWIS: This bill reflects a fundamental difference in opinion on the level of funding necessary to support the Federal Government's role in education, health and workforce programs. The bill is $10.2 billion over the President's budget request. While many of these programs are popular on both sides of the aisle, this bill contains what can
rightly be considered lower priority and duplicative programs. For example, this legislation continues three different programs that deal with violence prevention. An omnibus bill is absolutely the wrong and fiscally reckless approach to completing this year's work. It would negate any semblance of fiscal discipline demonstrated by this body in recent years.
Veto message from President Bush:
This bill spends too much. It exceeds [by $10.2 billion] the reasonable and responsible levels for discretionary spending that I proposed to balance the budget by 2012. This bill continues to fund 56 programs that I proposed to terminate because they are duplicative, narrowly focused, or not producing results. This bill does not sufficiently fund programs that are delivering positive outcomes. This bill has too many earmarks--more than 2,200 earmarks totaling nearly $1 billion. I urge the Congress to send me a fiscally responsible bill that sets priorities.
Reference: American Competitiveness Scholarship Act;
Bill H.R. 3043
; vote number 2007-391
on Oct 23, 2007
Voted NO on $52M for "21st century community learning centers".
To increase appropriations for after-school programs through 21st century community learning centers. Voting YES would increase funding by $51.9 million for after school programs run by the 21st century community learning centers and would decrease funding by $51.9 million for salaries and expenses in the Department of Labor.
Reference: Amendment to Agencies Appropriations Act;
Bill S Amdt 2287 to HR 3010
; vote number 2005-279
on Oct 27, 2005
Voted NO on $5B for grants to local educational agencies.
To provide an additional $5 billion for title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Voting YES would provide:- $2.5 billion for targeting grants to local educational agencies
- $2.5 billion for education finance incentive grants
Reference: Elementary and Secondary Education Amendment;
Bill S Amdt 2275 to HR 3010
; vote number 2005-269
on Oct 26, 2005
Voted NO on shifting $11B from corporate tax loopholes to education.
Vote to adopt an amendment to the Senate's 2006 Fiscal Year Budget Resolution that would adjust education funding while still reducing the deficit by $5.4 billion. A YES vote would: - Restore education program cuts slated for vocational education, adult education, GEAR UP, and TRIO.
- Increase the maximum Pell Grant scholarship to $4,500 immediately.
- Increases future math and science teacher student loan forgiveness to $23,000.
- Pay for the education funding by closing $10.8 billion in corporate tax loopholes.
Reference: Kennedy amendment relative to education funding;
Bill S AMDT 177 to S Con Res 18
; vote number 2005-68
on Mar 17, 2005
Voted NO on funding smaller classes instead of private tutors.
Vote to authorize a federal program aimed at reducing class size. The plan would assist states and local education agencies in recruiting, hiring and training 100,000 new teachers, with $2.4 billion in fiscal 2002. This amendment would replace an amendment allowing parents with children at under-performing schools to use public funding for private tutors.
Reference:
Bill S1
; vote number 2001-103
on May 15, 2001
Voted NO on funding student testing instead of private tutors.
Vote to pass an amendment that would authorize $200 million to provide grants to help states develop assessment systems that describe student achievement. This amendment would replace an amendment by Jeffords, R-VT, which would allow parents with children at under-performing schools to use public funding for private tutors.
Reference:
Bill S1
; vote number 2001-99
on May 10, 2001
Voted NO on spending $448B of tax cut on education & debt reduction.
Vote to reduce the size of the $1.6 trillion tax cut by $448 billion while increasing education spending by $250 billion and providing an increase of approximately $224 billion for debt reduction over 10 years.
Reference:
Bill H Con Res 83
; vote number 2001-69
on Apr 4, 2001
Voted YES on Educational Savings Accounts.
Vote to pass a bill that would permit tax-free savings accounts of up to $2000 per child annually to be used for public or private school tuition or other education expenses.
Reference:
Bill S.1134
; vote number 2000-33
on Mar 2, 2000
Voted YES on allowing more flexibility in federal school rules.
This vote was a motion to invoke cloture on a bill aimed at allowing states to waive certain federal rules normally required in order to use federal school aid. [A YES vote implies support of charter schools and vouchers].
Status: Cloture Motion Rejected Y)55; N)39; NV)6
Reference: Motion to Invoke cloture on Jeffords Amdt #31;
Bill S. 280
; vote number 1999-35
on Mar 9, 1999
Voted YES on education savings accounts.
This Conference Report approved tax-sheltered education savings accounts.
Status: Conf Rpt Agreed to Y)59; N)36; NV)5
Reference: H.R. 2646 Conference Report;
Bill H.R. 2646
; vote number 1998-169
on Jun 24, 1998
Voted YES on school vouchers in DC.
This legislation would have amended the DC spending measure, imposing an unconstitutional school voucher program on the District.
Status: Cloture Motion Rejected Y)58; N)41; NV)1
Reference: DC Appropriations Act;
Bill S. 1156
; vote number 1997-260
on Sep 30, 1997
Voted YES on $75M for abstinence education.
Vote to retain a provision of the Budget Act that funds abstinence education to help reduce teenage pregnancy, using $75 million of the Maternal and Child Health Block Grant Program.
Reference:
Bill S 1956
; vote number 1996-231
on Jul 23, 1996
Voted YES on requiring schools to allow voluntary prayer.
Cut off federal funds to school districts that deny students their right to constitutionally protected voluntary prayer.
Reference:
Bill S.1513
; vote number 1994-236
on Jul 27, 1994
Voted NO on national education standards.
Approval of national education standards.
Status: Bill Passed Y)71; N)25; NV)4
Reference: Goals 2000: Educate America Act;
Bill H.R. 1804
; vote number 1994-34
on Feb 8, 1994
Rated 27% by the NEA, indicating anti-public education votes.
Hatch scores 27% by the NEA on public education issues
The National Education Association has a long, proud history as the nation's leading organization committed to advancing the cause of public education. Founded in 1857 "to elevate the character and advance the interests of the profession of teaching and to promote the cause of popular education in the United States," the NEA has remained constant in its commitment to its original mission as evidenced by the current mission statement:
To fulfill the promise of a democratic society, the National Education Association shall promote the cause of quality public education and advance the profession of education; expand the rights and further the interest of educational employees; and advocate human, civil, and economic rights for all.
In pursuing its mission, the NEA has determined that it will focus the energy and resources of its 2.7 million members toward the "promotion of public confidence in public education."
The ratings are based on the votes the organization considered most important; the numbers reflect the percentage of time the representative voted the organization's preferred position.
Source: NEA website 03n-NEA on Dec 31, 2003
Page last updated: Jun 11, 2018