Part H—Sense of Congress
§8961. Sense of Congress to increase total share of Federal spending on education
(a) Findings
The Congress finds that—
(1) in order to increase our Nation's standard of living and to increase the number of good jobs, the United States must increase its productivity and ability to compete in the international marketplace by improving the educational level of our workforce;
(2) although efforts are being made to establish higher educational standards and goals, there is a substantial shortage of resources to meet such standards and goals;
(3) States and local communities are finding it increasingly difficult to meet ever higher educational standards and goals, and States will not be able to fund needed changes without Federal help to reach such standards and goals;
(4) the Federal Government has established many educational programs but failed to provide adequate funding for such programs, for example one such program provides education to our Nation's disabled students and was established with a promise of 40 percent Federal funding but currently receives only eight percent Federal funding;
(5) the annual shortfall in Federal education programs is approximately half of the promised funding;
(6) many needed educational improvements will not need Federal funds, however, other suggested changes such as lengthened school years, better pay, after-school activities, mentoring for students at risk, programs for gifted students, and replacing substandard buildings, will require substantial Federal assistance; and
(7) the Federal contribution to education is less than two percent of the total Federal budget, and in order to make education a national priority, the total percentage of Federal educational funding should be increased by one percent each year over the next eight years to reach 10 percent of the total Federal budget.
(b) Sense of Congress
It is the sense of the Congress that the total share of the Federal spending on education should increase by at least one percent each year until such share reaches 10 percent of the total Federal budget.
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§8962. Sense of Congress; requirement regarding notice
(a) Purchase of American-made equipment and products
In the case of any equipment or products that may be authorized to be purchased with financial assistance provided under this chapter, it is the sense of the Congress that entities receiving such assistance should, in expending the assistance, purchase only American-made equipment and products.
(b) Notice to recipients of assistance
In providing financial assistance under this chapter, the head of each Federal agency shall provide to each recipient of the assistance a notice describing the statement made in subsection (a) of this section by the Congress.
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