Political Quotes

“In 1975, Congress made the historic decision to require all public schools to accept and educate children with disabilities in the least restrictive environment. That law still serves as the basis for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. As part of the original law, Congress acknowledged that the Federal Government would need to contribute 40 percent of the extra costs of educating students with disabilities. Sadly, we do not seem to have a very good track record. Today--30 years after that critically important legislation was enacted--the Federal Government pays less than 20 percent of the additional cost. I commend my colleagues, Senators Hagel and Harkin, for offering the amendment to move the Federal share to 40 percent over 6 years. This amendment is an appropriate and overdue response to our schools who are living up to their end of the bargain, and I was pleased to support it. Unfortunately, the amendment failed by a slim margin. National organizations--ranging from teachers' groups to the disability rights movement to education advocacy groups--have urged this body to support the Hagel-Harkin amendment. There is broad and deep recognition that mandatory full funding is the right thing to do and that this is the right time to do it. Our schools need this funding.”