[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 63 (Tuesday, May 4, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E846-E847]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       THE SMART IDEA ACT OF 1999

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. ZOE LOFGREN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                          Tuesday, May 4, 1999

  Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to introduce legislation that makes 
the point that Congress doesn't need to pit the needs of disabled 
children against the needs of non-disabled children in meeting our 
commitments

[[Page E847]]

with IDEA--the individuals with Disabilities Education Act. There are 
other alternatives available. As is often the case, Mr. Speaker, this 
Republican-controlled House lacks imagination when confronting 
important issues.
  It is ironic that on National Teacher's Day we are pitting disabled 
children against their non-disabled classmates. Instead of depriving 
our schools of important funds from other federal education programs, 
as the Republicans suggest, I propose that we use an existing federal 
program to meet the obligations of IDEA. I think the Medicaid program 
is ideal for this approach.
  The concept of my legislation is simple: after any school district 
has spent $3,500 on a student who is eligible for IDEA funds, the 
school district can receive full federal funding from the Medicaid 
program for additional required services mandated under IDEA.
  The idea behind IDEA was that children who are disabled must receive 
the assistance they need to achieve their academic potential. That's 
the right thing for those children and their families. It's also the 
right thing for America--so that every individual has the maximum 
chance to be a contributor.
  But who pays has been a problem for many years. Especially 
problematic for cash-strapped schools are situations where 
extraordinary expenses are required for a severely disabled child. 
These expenses can ``bust the budget'' and pit the parents of disabled 
children against the parents of non-disabled children. Because of the 
high costs of providing special assistance to the disabled, it is 
believed that some school districts tend to overlook findings that 
assistance is needed. That is counter-productive to the goal of helping 
disabled children succeed in school. But it's hard to blame the 
schools. The necessary funding has never been provided by the state or 
federal governments for this great IDEA.
  The use of Medicaid to fund IDEA solves most of these problems. Since 
the Federal government funds 50% of Medicaid, shifting extraordinary 
expenses to the Medicaid program would ensure that the Federal 
government does its part. Because the rest of Medicaid funding comes 
from the states, the use of Medicaid also would ensure that states do 
their fair share and don't shirk their obligations to local schools. 
Adoption of this proposal would remove the disincentive now in place 
for schools to avoid providing help to disabled children. Additionally, 
it would remove the animosity that can develop between the parents of 
disabled and non-disabled children for scarce resources.
  I think this change makes a lot of sense and hope that a bipartisan 
majority can put solutions ahead of politics and pursue this plan. 
Let's not allow a lack of imagination and compassion to short-change 
all our kids and schools.

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