[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 138 (Tuesday, December 7, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2183]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 1350, INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES EDUCATION 
                        IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2004

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, November 19, 2004

  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1350, the 
Conference Report to reauthorize the Individuals with Disabilities 
Education Improvement Act (IDEA).
  I commend the House and Senate conferees for putting the best 
interests of the students first in this reauthorization and reaching a 
compromise between parents, teachers, school administrators, and school 
districts. This legislation has my support because it responds to the 
needs of special education teachers and the children they serve.
  My vote in favor of H.R. 1350 when it passed the House originally was 
because of the work our committee did on provisions improving early 
identification and the goal for full funding. Yet I did have strong 
reservations about the sections pertaining to discipline and the 
definition of highly qualified teachers. At the time, I was assured 
that my concerns and those of my colleagues would be addressed in the 
Conference Committee. The conferees were able to craft a compromise 
that will receive broad bipartisan support today in the House.
  When a child is identified as having a disability at an early age, 
their parents and teachers are better able to address their needs and 
ensure they are integrated into the regular educational setting and 
curriculum. I have worked hard to secure funding for newborn hearing 
screening programs, which save schools millions of dollars in special 
education costs by ensuring early detection and intervention of infants 
with hearing loss. Further efforts to increase early identification, as 
H.R. 1350 will accomplish, will save our schools millions more in 
special education costs.
  I believe strongly that Congress must provide the funding promised 
nearly 30 years ago, and I have introduced legislation that would 
accomplish this goal. While this bill today does not require mandatory 
full funding, it is a step in the right direction in fulfilling the 
commitment we made our states and local school districts to provide 40 
percent of the cost of IDEA. We owe it to our students, their families, 
and our communities, and I will continue to work with my colleagues on 
both sides of the aisle to make this promise a reality.
  Because of the efforts of my colleagues, as well as families, 
teachers, and school administrators across the country, we are, today, 
able to put the needs of students and families first. I urge my 
colleagues to support this important piece of bipartisan legislation 
that will move us forward in our goal to provide an equal, quality 
education for all students.

                          ____________________