Angie Craig: “Woman, as a mother of four sons, the wife of an educator, and the daughter of a teacher, I know that we should never…”

“Woman, as a mother of four sons, the wife of an educator, and the daughter of a teacher, I know that we should never underestimate the power of a high-quality education, and we need the Federal Government to be a strong partner in this effort. That starts by fully funding special education. Unfortunately, for far too long, the Federal Government has not lived up to its commitment to fully fund special ed. Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA, the Federal Government is required to fund special education up to 40 percent per pupil. Special education programs in Minnesota currently receive as little as 8 percent. My amendment, which I am incredibly proud to introduce today with my Minnesota colleague, Representative Pete Stauber, stresses the importance of IDEA grants to States to address funding gaps in special education programs. These grants are given to each State to ensure that adequate resources are being devoted to special education programs. As the mother of a son with learning challenges, I am proud to fight for our children and our communities. I want to thank the Appropriations Committee for working on this issue, and I applaud their work in increasing funding for IDEA. This bill provides over $14 billion for special education, an increase of $1 billion over the 2019 enacted level. This is a great start toward that 40 percent.…”