Congress has yet to pass an
education budget for fiscal year 2010, despite the fact that the federal fiscal
year began on October 1. Currently, Congress has - through a bill called a
continuing resolution - funded the federal government at FY2009 levels through
December 18. According to conventional wisdom, and several key appropriations
staffers, Congress is unlikely to pass the FY 2010 education budget until the
Health Care overhaul is decided one way or the other. Even if Congress passes the FY 2010 education budget, it would not likely increase IDEA funding over FY2009 levels. Therefore, it is more important that ever to contact your Senators and Representatives and ask them to support and cosponsor the IDEA full funding legislation, which would honor the Congress' commitment to fully fund the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
In the Senate, Chairman Harkin and Senator Roberts introduced the IDEA Full Funding Act and in the House, Representatives Chris Van Hollen, Todd Platts, and Tim Walz introduced the Everyone Deserves Unconditional Access to Education Act or the EDUCATE Act. Both of these bills authorize increasing amounts of mandatory funding for IDEA in annual increments over six years. This, in addition to the discretionary funding allocated annually through the Appropriations Committee, will finally meet the federal government's commitment to educating children with disabilities in 2015. By increasing the federal investment in special education, these bills would also free up local and state funds that had previously been used to meet IDEA requirements. As Chairman Harkin stated, "This is a win-win-win bill, with these advance appropriations, students with disabilities will get the public education they have a right to and school districts will be able to provide services without cutting into their general education budgets."
Let your Senator know how critical full funding for IDEA is to children and youth with disabilities and those who work on their behalf. Visit our Legislative Action Center and send a letter today to your Senator to sign on as a cosponsor to this important legislation!!!
Let your Representative know how critical full funding for IDEA is to children and youth with disabilities and those who work on their behalf. Visit our Legislative Action Center and send a letter today to your Representative to cosponsor to this important legislation!!!
After reading this blog, I develop a series of questions. First, what does the health care overhaul have to do with the passing of the FY 2010 eduaction funding? Next, if the FY 2010 education funding passes, why won't it would not likely increase IDEA funding over FY2009 levels? Also, is congress purposely try not to fulfill their educational commitment?
Posted by: Abasi | 04/07/2010 at 07:59 PM