[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 129 (Wednesday, September 10, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5509-S5510]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
By Mr. HARKIN (for himself, Mr. Leahy, Mr. Durbin, Mrs. Murray,
Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Reed, Mr. Johnson of South Dakota, Mr.
Bennet, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Casey, Mr. Blumenthal, Ms. Warren,
and Mrs. Hagan):
S. 2789. A bill to amend part B of the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act to provide full Federal funding of such part; to the
Committee on Finance.
Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, throughout my career in public service I
have focused on ensuring that each and every child with a disability is
ensured the right to a good education. To this end, I have fought
tirelessly to safeguard the rights of children with disabilities under
the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, IDEA, landmark
legislation that has been improving the educational outcomes of
millions of students across the nation since 1975 on the bedrock
principles of inclusion and equality.
When Congress passed IDEA, we understood that our commitment to
provide high-quality educational opportunities and serve the needs of
students with disabilities in our classrooms entailed excess costs
compared to others students, which would have a significant financial
impact on States and school districts. That is why Congress committed
to covering up to 40 percent of the excess cost of educating students
with disabilities. However, we have failed to deliver on that promise,
and the law has been consistently and grossly underfunded.
This is why I am pleased to introduce the IDEA Full Funding Act,
which will allow us to make good on the full federal commitment. Given
the current financial difficulties that many state and local
governments are facing, this legislation is more essential than ever
for ensuring that students with disabilities get the high-quality
education and services they need in order to fulfill their potential.
Since enactment of IDEA, students with disabilities across the United
States have made tremendous progress. Today, nearly 6.6 million
students receive special education services designed to meet their
individual needs. Ninety-five percent of students with disabilities
attend a neighborhood school, and almost two-thirds of those students
spend at least 80 percent of their day in the regular school
environment. Nearly 350,000 infants and toddlers receive early
intervention services. More than 6 out of 10 students with disabilities
graduate high school with a regular diploma--twice the percentage of 25
years ago. Moreover, approximately half of students with disabilities
enroll in postsecondary education. We must do our best to continue this
progress and make good on our 39-year-old promise because there is
still a long way to go. For instance, students with disabilities who
graduate from high school have an employment rate that is less than
half the employment rate of the general population.
Today, the Federal Government provides about 16 percent of the
additional cost of educating a student with a disability, less than
half the 40 percent that Congress committed to when we passed IDEA. In
the current fiscal year, this means Federal funding for IDEA is almost
$24 billion short, which forces states and school districts to make up
the federal shortfall at a time when they are cash strapped.
The IDEA Full Funding Act will fully fund the federal commitment to
IDEA by gradually increasing the federal government's share of the
excess costs of educating students with disabilities to its committed
level over 10 years. Specifically, this legislation will increase the
Federal dollars appropriated from $11.5 billion in fiscal year 2014 to
$35.6 billion in fiscal year 2023.
This bill is supported by 34 organizations including: ACCSES, the
Association of Assistive Technology Act Programs, the Autism National
Committee, the Autism Society of America, the Council of Parent
Attorneys
[[Page S5510]]
and Advocates, the Collaboration to Promote Self-Determination, the
Conference of Educational Administrators of Schools and Programs for
the Deaf, the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, the
Epilepsy Foundation, Easter Seals, the Kentucky Protection and Advocacy
Division, the Jonathan Foundation for Children with Learning
Disabilities, the National Association of School Psychologists, the
National Association of State Directors of Special Education, the
National Center for Learning Disabilities, the National Center for
Special Education in Charter Schools, the National Down Syndrome
Congress, the National Down Syndrome Society, the National Disability
Rights Network, Perkins School for the Blind, TASH, the School
Superintendents Association, the American Federation of Teachers, the
American Speech Language Hearing Association, the Association of
Educational Service Agencies, the Council of Great City Schools, the
Council for Exceptional Children, the National Association of
Elementary School Principals, the National Association of Secondary
School Principals, the National Association of State Directors of
Special Education, the National Education Association, the National
School Boards Association, the National Rural Education Advocacy
Coalition, and the National Rural Education Association.
By making good on our 39-year-old promise, we will supply schools
with the necessary funding to enhance the quality and range of services
available to students with disabilities. The funding increase will help
to raise salaries for teachers and related services personnel, thereby
allowing districts to enhance recruitment and retention high-quality
staff. It will support school districts in increasing graduation rates
and postsecondary enrollment rates of students with disabilities.
In these difficult times, it is essential for Congress to provide
these revenues without increasing the deficit. The IDEA Full Funding
Act is fully paid for by increasing income taxes for those with an
adjusted gross income greater than $1,000,000 per year. This increase
in funding for schools will have a powerful impact on the lives of
children with disabilities by improving their educational and future
employment outcomes.
I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this long-
overdue legislation.
______