[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 145 (Tuesday, October 13, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H10813]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




CALLING FOR FULL FUNDING OF THE INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES EDUCATION 
                                  ACT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Hill). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentleman from New Hampshire (Mr. Bass) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. BASS. Mr. Speaker, it is my understanding that the budget 
negotiators have come to an agreement over the overall funding levels 
for education, education programs, but they have not yet resolved how 
that money will be allocated.
  I rise here tonight in the 5 minutes allocated to me to urge 
negotiators, both Republicans and Democrats, to use this as an 
opportunity to put money into special education, to fully fund or to 
move toward fully funding the Individuals with Disabilities Education 
Act.
  As the previous speaker mentioned a couple of minutes ago, this is a 
Federal mandate that was established in the early seventies. Originally 
and today, we are required to fund up to 40 percent of the costs of 
special education.
  When I entered this body in 1995, the level of funding was 6 percent, 
and now it is a little less than 12 percent. This is a tragedy. It is a 
tragedy because it hits every single school district and school in the 
United States. It is a tragedy because it hurts families that have 
children with disabilities and have to live in communities where the 
cost of this education, which is perfectly legitimate and necessary, is 
borne for the most part by friends and neighbors.
  Mr. Speaker, the folks who are negotiating tonight need to look 
seriously at allocating every single one of these dollars to fully fund 
our obligation to fund special education. Doing so would go a long way 
toward easing the financial burden that we feel in every community 
across the country.
  Fully funding or using these extra dollars to fund special education 
would spread the education dollars more equitably across this country. 
It would give the local school districts and school administrators and 
parents the right to prioritize spending, not have the folks here in 
Washington decide who gets these extra Federal dollars.
  I represent a rural district, and I hasten to say that it is quite 
likely under the President's plan that my district will receive little 
or nothing. But if we were to fulfill this unfunded Federal mandate, 
every town in my district would get an extra dollar or two to help 
defray the cost of education.
  Mr. Speaker, this is a compromise that can be supported by 
Republicans and Democrats, by liberals and conservatives, by anybody 
that has a commitment to fulfilling an obligation that this Congress 
made over 25 years ago.
  Indeed, the true winners in this battle for more education funding 
will not only be the teachers, will not only be those who believe that 
we should have better classrooms and more modern schools, but it will 
also be school administrators, school boards, parents, property 
taxpayers, and most importantly, the children of this country.
  I urge the negotiators in this budget deal that is going to be coming 
before us tomorrow to look at the issue of special education before we 
establish new Federal programs, before we establish new Federal 
bureaucracies, before we decide in Washington what the educational 
spending priorities should be in school districts around the country.
  Let us meet the unfunded obligation of special education. Let us 
start tomorrow by putting these extra funds into IDEA.

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