Issue Position: Education - Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

Issue Position

Issue Position: Education - Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
Time and time again, I hear from frustrated parents, school administrators, teachers, school board members, and others about the need for an increase in special education funding at the federal level. I regret that the final No Child Left Behind Act, which the President signed into law in January 2002, did not include a provision in the Senate version of the bill that would have provided full funding of the federal share of the IDEA with specified, mandatory funding increases.

More recently, I was pleased to support the Senate version of the bill reauthorizing IDEA, which the Senate passed on May 13, 2004, the President signed the final version of this bill into law in December 2004. I voted in favor of an amendment to this bill that would have provided specific, mandatory annual funding increases for the federal share of IDEA, resulting in full funding of the 40 percent promised by the federal government in six years. I regret this amendment failed because the federal government has for too long failed to keep its promise to fund 40 percent of the costs of special education.

Subsequently, I voted in favor of an alternative amendment that requires specific annual funding increases for special education, although it continues to leave the funding decisions subject to the year-to-year appropriations process. I am pleased that the Senate passed this amendment, but regret that it did not take advantage of this opportunity to secure mandatory funding for the federal share of special education funding. This funding was promised to states and school districts, and I will continue to support efforts to provide these badly needed resources.

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