Tom Harkin: “as I was saying, we have come a long way, and we should not turn the clock back. On this very bill we are discussing…”

“as I was saying, we have come a long way, and we should not turn the clock back. On this very bill we are discussing, Senator Hagel and I offered an amendment that fully funds the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act that we passed 26 years ago. That is in this bill. It is not an authorization; it is actually an appropriation in this bill, and it was adopted unanimously by the Senate by voice vote. That means school districts now will have more Federal funds coming in to help them provide the services these kids need. Let's not resegregate these kids until we see the outcomes of full funding. We are now going to give the schools the support and the finances they need to make sure they get the appropriate services for these kids with disabilities. The amendment I have pending in many ways is similar to the amendment of the Senator from Alabama, but it does not segregate and it does not stop services. It does allow schools to discipline kids with disabilities, it allows them to even kick them out, but it does not allow them to segregate or stop services to the kids with disabilities. I think that is a vital, important difference between these two amendments.”