June 7, 2002

Congressman Clarifies Dispute Over Santorum Language

Congressman George Miller, a member of the joint conference committee that drafted the final version of the recently signed No Child Left Behind education bill, has sent a letter to NCSE clarifying the significance of the “Santorum Amendment.” The amendment, stripped from the bill and placed in the conference committee report in weakened form, has been cited by anti-evolutionists in several states as justification for watering down evolution or inserting intelligent design in science curricula.

In the letter, Miller states “the report language should not be construed to promote specific topics within subject areas… such decisions are best left to the scientific community, rather than legislators.”

The complete text of the letter may be viewed in both html and PDF formats.