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   (Ordered to lie on the table.)

   Mr. LOTT submitted an amendment intended to be propsoed by him to the bill, S. 1429, supra, as follows:

    In lieu of the matter proposed to be inserted, insert the following:

   SEC. __. SENSE OF THE SENATE.

    It is the sense of the Senate that--

    (1) in 1975, the Federal Government promised to pay 40 percent of the costs associated with part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1411 et seq.), which guarantees each special education child the right to a free and appropriate public education;

    (2) the Administration's fiscal year 2000 budget request provides a .07 percent increase in funding for part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which is less than an adjustment for inflation, and the Administration's budget request represents a decrease in real funding for educating children with disabilities;

    (3) in the 3 years preceding 1999, Congress has increased funding for part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act by nearly 80 percent, however, the increase is still far short of the nearly $15,000,000,000 needed to live up to the originally promised funding level for such part;

    (4) fulfilling the Federal obligation to fund part B of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act at the originally promised level will allow State and local governments, some of whom spend up to 19 percent of their local dollars on special education costs, to have more flexibility to spend their local resources to meet the unique educational needs of all of their students;

    (5) the recent United States Supreme Court decision Cedar Rapids Community School District v. Garret F., 119 S. Ct. 992; (1999) will increase the amount of funding that school districts will need to dedicate to educating, and providing related services to, their special needs children; and

    (6) because the need for the Federal Government to fulfill such obligation is so great, part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act should be fully funded at the originally promised level of 40 percent before federal funds are appropriated for any new federal education programs.

END