[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 200 (Tuesday, December 5, 2023)]
[House]
[Page H6119]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               RECOGNIZING NATIONAL SPECIAL EDUCATION DAY

  (Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize 
National Special Education Day.
  In the 1970s, Congress made a commitment to provide a free and 
appropriate education to students with disabilities.
  While we have made tremendous progress thanks to the Individuals with 
Disabilities Education Act, we have also failed to fully fund the cost 
of special education.
  Congress promised at that point to cover 40 percent of the extra cost 
of special education, but we have never come close to fulfilling that 
promise. In fact, the current funding remains at only 14 percent of the 
targeted amount.
  Mr. Speaker, that is shameful. This means our students and schools 
suffer. It means that programs will be cut. It means that schools won't 
be able to recruit and retain qualified teachers.
  Above all else, it means that students with disabilities will not be 
able to succeed, not without appropriate, high-quality services that 
they deserve.
  That is why I proudly cosponsored the bipartisan IDEA Full Funding 
Act, which would mandate gradual increases in IDEA to reach that full 
commitment--40 percent by fiscal year 2029 and each subsequent fiscal 
year.
  I urge my colleagues to support this bill and uphold the promise to 
provide students and schools with the resources that they need.

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