Garden State Times

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) joined Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) in introducing the IDEA Full Funding Act. This legislation would finally ensure Congress fulfills its commitment to fully fund the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

In 1975, Congress passed IDEA to ensure that every child with a disability has access to educational opportunity. This law was a historic step forward, but since its passage Congress has failed to provide the funding it promised.

Under IDEA, the federal government committed to pay 40 percent of the average per pupil expenditure for special education. However, that pledge has never been met, and current funding is at less than 13 percent. According to the Congressional Research Service, the IDEA shortfall in the 2021-2022 school year nationwide was $23.92 billion. The IDEA Full Funding Act would require regular, mandatory increases in IDEA spending to finally meet our obligation to America’s children and schools. It is cosponsored by more than 20 Senators and over 60 House members.

“A good quality education is about opening the doors of opportunity for every child, including those with disabilities,” said Sen. Menendez. “I’m proud to join my colleagues in introducing this bicameral legislation to ensure students with disabilities have access to high-quality, well-funded special education regardless of their zip code. This bill will help level the playing field for students and Congress should work towards its swift passage.”

 

Sen. Menendez has strongly supported people with disabilities, working diligently to deliver safe transit options, education and protections to New Jersey’s most vulnerable and underserved communities. Last month, Sen. Menendez and Congresswoman Dina Titus (D-Nev.-01) reintroduced the bicameral Disability Access to Transportation Act, legislation that would establish a one-stop pilot program to help paratransit riders avoid excessive wait times between multiple trips, streamline the process for submitting accessibility complaints, and assist local communities with identifying gaps in transportation accessibility.

In 2022, Sens. Menendez and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) were joined by ten of their Senate colleagues in introducing the International Children with Disabilities Protection Act, legislation to bolster U.S. support for children with disabilities, helping improve the capacity of local disabilities rights organizations and families of children with disabilities around the world to advocate for necessary reforms.

The legislation is cosponsored in the Senate by Senators Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.). 

 

The bill is also supported by the: American Academy of Pediatrics, American Music Therapy Association, American Occupational Therapy Association, American Physical Therapy Association, American Printing House for the Blind, American Psychological Association Services, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, American Therapeutic Recreation Association, Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA), Association of CA School Administrators, Association of Educational Service Agencies, Association of People Supporting Employment First (APSE), Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO), Association of University Centers of Disabilities, Autism Society of America, Autistic People of Color Fund (APOC), Autism Self-Advocacy Network, Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network, Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, CA Small School Districts' Association, California County Superintendents, California School Boards Association, CAST, Center for Learner Equity, Coalition for Adequate Funding for Special Education (California), CommunicationFIRST, Council for Learning Disabilities, Council of Administrators of Special Education, Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA), Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation (CSAVR), Council of Administrators of Special Education, Council of the Great City Schools, Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund, Division for Early Childhood of the CEC, Division of Learning Disabilities - Council for Exceptional Children, Future Robotics, Higher Education Consortium for Special Education (HECSE),  IDEA Infants and Toddlers Coordinators Association (ITCA), Learning Disabilities Association of America, Los Angeles Unified School District, Moms of Black and Brown Children, National Association for Music Education, National Association for Pupil Transportation, National Association of ESEA State Program Administrators, National Association of School Boards, National Association of School Nurses, National Association of School Psychologists, National Association of State Directors of Special Education, National Consortium for Physical Education for Individuals with Disabilities (NCPEID), National Disability Rights Network(NDRN), National Down Syndrome Congress, National Down Syndrome Society, National Rural Education Advocacy Consortium, National Rural Education Association, National Rural Education Advocacy Consortium, National School Boards Association, Perkins School for the Blind, San Diego Unified School District, School Social Work Association of America, TASH, Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children (TED), The Advocacy Institute, The Arc of the United States, and The Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies.

For text of the full legislation, click HERE.

Original source can be found here.