WASHINGTON -- U.S. Rep. Howard P. "Buck" McKeon, R-Santa Clarita, citing the need to fulfill a 1975 congressional promise, today spoke on the House floor and voted for a resolution calling on the federal government to pay its full share of special education funding.

"Special education is a classic unfunded federal mandate," McKeon said. "We need to fulfill the federal government's responsibility to pay its share, and free local school dollars to be used to hire more teachers, improve teacher quality, buy more books or computers or fund any other priority that local school districts and parents want."

The House today, on a vote of 421 to 3, passed H.R. 4055, by Rep. Bill Goodling, R-Pa., that amends the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to fully authorize the federal funding obligation of 40 percent of the average per pupil expenditure, as promised in the original IDEA act passed by Congress in 1975. Specifically, H.R. 4055 authorizes appropriations of $7 billion in Fiscal Year 2001, and increases it by $2 billion annually through FY 2010 up to $25 billion.

McKeon, who co-sponsored H.R. 4055, said officials from school districts in the San Fernando, Santa Clarita and Antelope valleys have strongly supported his efforts to increase IDEA funding. In the Santa Clarita and Antelope valleys, the schools must find nearly $5 million in additional funds to cover the federal share for special education. McKeon, a former member of the William S. Hart Union High School District board, has been active on this issue pursuant to his role on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.

"I have visited special education programs in my district, and it is heartwarming to see the miracles they perform every day," McKeon said. "We need to support them, not micromanage them."

McKeon noted that since Republicans took over Congress in 1994, the Congress has increased special education by 115 percent, to its current level of 12.6 percent of the cost, over the opposition of the Clinton-Gore administration during most years. Instead, the Clinton-Gore administration has proposed new, costly and heavily bureaucratic programs rather than simply funding IDEA, McKeon said.

"In this era of budget surpluses, we must resist the temptation to create new, untested federal programs," McKeon said during a speech today on the House floor. "Instead, I believe that before we devise another questionable program, we must first fulfill a promise we made a quarter century ago – a promise to assist our local schools so they can provide our special needs children with a public education."

Here is the full text of Rep. McKeon's House floor speech today:

"Mr. Speaker, I, too, rise in strong support of H.R. 4055, the IDEA Full Funding Act.

"First, I would like to commend Chairman Goodling for all his hard work on this important issue. He has long been an advocate for special needs children. His leadership will be missed when he retires at the end of the year.

"Now, in this era of budget surpluses, we must resist the temptation to create new, untested federal programs. Instead, I believe that before we devise another questionable program, we must first fulfill a promise we made a quarter of a century ago – a promise to assist our local schools so they can provide our special needs children with a public education.

"Time and again, I hear our states and schools must sacrifice other educational needs and priorities in order to make up for the federal shortfall on IDEA funding.

"For example, the Antelope and Santa Clarita valleys in my congressional district must find nearly $5 million in additional funds to cover the federal share for educating special education students. I am sure there are a lot of other things schools can do with $5 million if the federal government would just simply live up to its obligation.

"I am hopeful the president will join us in this important endeavor. If the president would first fund the special education mandate, our states and local school districts would have the funds to do the things the president proposes – such as building new schools, hiring new teachers, buying more computers, and ensuring accountability.

"Already, as earlier speakers have said, the Republican Congress has dramatically increased funding for special education. Under H.R. 4055, this Congress will provide fair federal funding for special education, so in the end, we can improve education for all of our children.

"Therefore, as a proud cosponsor of the IDEA Full Funding Act, I urge all my colleagues to vote for this bill.

"Thank you."