[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.
                                 ______