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WATTS HAILS HOUSE PASSAGE OF IDEA FUNDING FOR OKLAHOMA SCHOOLS
Bill Authorizes Full Funding of Federally Mandated Disabled Students Programs

WASHINGTON, DC -- U.S. Rep. J.C. Watts, Jr. (R-Okla.) voted today to authorize full funding of the federally mandated program for disabled students, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), a move that would free up local resources to build new schools, hire more teachers and connect schools to the Internet.

"Twenty-four years ago, Congress made a promise to children and families with special education needs," Watts said. "However, that promise to provide educational funding for disabled children was never kept, and schools were forced to pull funds from other sources just to meet the mandate from Congress. This bill could change that."

Since 1975, when IDEA was signed into law, previous Congresses had failed to meet the commitment of funding 40% of the program. During the past four fiscal years, the Republican majority in Congress has increased funding for IDEA by 115 percent, or $2.6 billion. Even with the increase, however, the funding equals only 12.6 percent of the average per pupil expenditure to assist children with disabilities. With passage of The IDEA Full Funding Act of 2000 today, H.R. 4055, the bill sets a schedule for fully funding the federal government’s commitment to IDEA by the year 2010.

Sponsored by Rep. Bill Goodling (R-PA), chairman of the Committee on the Education and the Workforce, the bill would authorize increases of $2 billion a year to meet the federal commitment by the year 2010. The Congressional Research Service estimates that more than $15 billion would be needed to fully fund IDEA. For Oklahoma schools, that means an increase of $113 million in funding by 2010, up from $27 million.

"Today’s vote would not have been possible if we had not worked hard to balance the budget and reorganize our spending priorities in Washington," Watts said. "Passage of today’s bill shows that the Republican Congress is committed to meeting the financial needs of our schools and improving our children’s education."

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