mr. chairman , i thank my colleague from arizona for yielding me time . 
mr. chairman , i rise in support of this bipartisan amendment because it is important not only to the state of arizona but to the entire nation . 
as of last year , mr. chairman , 40 of our 50 states as well as the district of columbia and puerto rico have passed charter school laws . 
my good friend , a member of the committee on appropriations , pointed out that charter schools are public schools , that charter schools in fact offer services to children with special needs . 
and we can not stand by and allow the department of education by bureaucratic fiat to decide to cut off these funds to deserving children in what are public schools as set forth by state standards . 
education is a national priority and ultimately a local concern . 
and just as arizona has taken the lead in terms of formation and the flourishing of charter schools , we want to see the funds there for the children who deserve them . 
