Lynn C. Woolsey: “I stand in support of H.R. 1, and I compliment the chairman, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner), and the ranking…”

“I stand in support of H.R. 1, and I compliment the chairman, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner), and the ranking member, the gentleman from California (Mr. George Miller). Good job. This was not easy to do. But I want to talk about something we left out in the House that we cannot wait another year to cover, and that is fully funding special education and IDEA. I would ask that the conference committee include the Senate provisions regarding funding IDEA. When I meet with parents in my district who have children with special needs, I hear how frantic they are about getting the services their children need in their schools. They think the schools are giving them the runaround. While, when I talk to the school administrators and the educators, they tell me they are worried sick about not having enough money to fully meet the needs of special education programs. And parents of students without special needs are fearful that their children will not receive enough resources so that they can get the education that they need. This cannot continue. We need not wait another year. We must fully fund IDEA, because we are pitting one important education program against another. Students against students, parents against parents, and parents against schools. It is time for Congress to honor the commitment made to parents and educators over 26 years ago. We can do that by adopting the Senate provision in the Leave No Child Behind Act and fully fund IDEA over 10 years.”