[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 39 (Tuesday, March 31, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H1781]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page H1781]]
                              {time}  0945
   GIVE THE INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES EDUCATION ACT THE HIGHEST 
                                PRIORITY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Snowbarger). Under the Speaker's 
announced policy of January 21, 1997, the gentleman from New Hampshire 
(Mr. Bass) is recognized during morning hour debates for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BASS. Mr. Speaker, last week I introduced House Resolution 399, 
to work toward fully funding the Federal Government's statutory 
obligation under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, IDEA. 
This resolution says, and I quote, ``Resolved, that the House of 
Representatives urges the Congress and the President to give programs 
under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act the highest 
priority among Federal education programs by working to fund the 
maximum State grant allocation for educating children with disabilities 
under such Act.''
  For those who may not be familiar with IDEA, it came about in 1975 as 
a result of a Supreme Court decision in the early 1970s that 
essentially said that we have an obligation under our Constitution to 
provide education for all Americans, regardless of what level of 
educational ability one might have; a very good decision and an 
important decision.
  Unfortunately, however, when Congress passed the original IDEA bill 
in 1975, we enacted a statutory commitment to cover 40 percent of the 
excess costs of educating a learning-disabled student. Mr. Speaker, we 
have never done it. The fact of the matter is that, since 1975, we have 
never funded IDEA at any higher rate than about 7 to 7\1/2\ percent.
  It is this Member's opinion that this practice has to end. There is 
no issue, there is no issue, that is more important to school 
districts, to school administrators, to school boards, to parents, and 
perhaps most importantly, to property taxpayers across this country 
than the chronic underfunding of special education.
  I introduced this resolution last week. It is currently pending in 
the Committee on Education and the Workforce. I am hopeful we will see 
some action on it in the near future.
  I believe it is time for this Congress to step forward and say it is 
time to end the mother of all unfunded mandates, a mandate that costs 
our cities and towns and municipalities over $10 billion a year. It is 
time, in 1998, to fully fund IDEA.
  If we want to improve local education, if we want to take the burden 
off of families that are under stress to provide education for their 
children if their children may be disabled or coded in some form or 
fashion and not separate them from the rest of the community, if we 
want to fulfill the Government's mandate that was enacted over 20 years 
ago, do it for the first time in 1998. This is the year to fully fund 
special education.
  I urge my colleagues, Mr. Speaker, to join me in cosponsoring this 
important legislation and send a message back to our constituents that 
the time has come for the Federal government to live up to its 
obligation to provide our school districts, our cities and towns, with 
the relief that we promised to provide them over 20 years ago in fully 
funding special education.

                          ____________________