mr. chairman , reclaiming my time , i thank the gentlewoman for bringing this program to the attention of the house . 
one of my goals as chairman of the subcommittee is to help ensure that all children can read by the end of the third grade . 
i might add at this point that i think one of the reasons for the excessive amount of dropouts in high school is because there is a lack of ability to read . 
it is a disgrace in the united states that 32 percent on average nationwide do not finish high school . 
providing books for children to read in their own homes is obviously an integral part of this effort . 
that is what the reading is fundamental program does . 
although the program does not receive a separate line item in our report , we have assumed funding for it within the totals already provided and will work with the other body in conference to ensure that it receives sufficient resources . 
