I was particularly gratified with the bills recommended funding level for basic grants to local educational agencies. a 12percent increase over the Congressional Budget Offices fiscal year 1992 baseline level for these grants. When I appeared before the LaborHHSEducation Subcommittee in early May. I also recommended substantial increases in the funding of two other chapter 1 components. the Even Start Program and the Migrant Children State Agency Program. In the case of Even Start. I pointed out that everything we had learned about the programs results indicated that it definitely warranted an accelerated rate of expansion. Needless to say. I was delighted to find that H.R. 2707 recommended doubling Even Starts level of funding for the coming fiscal year. and that the level providedS100 millionwill for the first time permit the program to make the transition to a State formula grant activity. and will thus allow local education agencies in all States to participate in the program. As for the Migrant Children Program. I noted that while our efforts to help these children had been very rewardingmost particularly through the accomplishment of reducing their dropout rate by 40 percent over a decadeeven though the funding of the chapter 1 account as a whole had increased dramatically over these past few years. this has not been reflected in the funding of the Migrant Children Program. I am pleased that H.R. 2707 recommends a 9.2percent increase over the current fiscal years funding level for this program. I want to thank the Appropriations Committee for its careful. and to the extent possible favorable. consideration of President Bushs educational excellence initiatives.