[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Printing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 329 Engrossed in House (EH)]
111th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. CON. RES. 329
_______________________________________________________________________
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Whereas the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 (Public Law 94-
142), which amended the State grant program under part B of the
Education of the Handicapped Act (Public Law 91-230), was enacted into
law 35 years ago on November 29, 1975;
Whereas the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 established the
Federal policy of ensuring
that all children, regardless of the nature or severity of their
disability, have available to them a free appropriate public education in
the least restrictive environment;
Whereas the Education of the Handicapped Act of 1975 was further amended by the
Education of the Handicapped Act Amendments of 1986 (Public Law 99-457)
to create a preschool grant program for children with disabilities 3 to
5 years of age and an early intervention program for infants and
toddlers with disabilities from birth through age 2;
Whereas the Education of the Handicapped Act Amendments of 1990 (Public Law 101-
476) renamed the statute as the Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act (IDEA);
Whereas the IDEA was amended in 1997 to ensure children with disabilities are
involved, and make progress, in the general education curriculum and are
included in all general State and district-wide assessment programs;
Whereas IDEA was amended in 2004 to ensure that all children with disabilities
have available to them a free appropriate public education that
emphasizes special education and related services designed to meet their
unique needs and support them in transitioning to further education,
employment, and independent living;
Whereas IDEA currently serves an estimated 342,000 infants and toddlers, 709,000
preschoolers, and 5,890,000 children 6 to 21 years of age;
Whereas IDEA has assisted in a dramatic reduction in the number of children with
developmental disabilities who must live in State institutions that are
away from their families, costly, inappropriate, and isolated;
Whereas the number of children with disabilities who complete high school with a
standard diploma has grown significantly since the enactment of IDEA;
Whereas the number of children with disabilities who enroll in college as
freshmen has more than tripled since the enactment of IDEA;
Whereas IDEA has raised the Nation's expectations about the abilities of
children with disabilities by requiring access to the general education
curriculum;
Whereas improvements to IDEA made in 1997 and 2004 changed the focus of a
child's individualized education program from procedural requirements
placed upon teachers and related services personnel to educational
results for that child, thus improving academic achievement;
Whereas IDEA, along with the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965,
holds schools accountable for the academic performance of students with
disabilities;
Whereas IDEA requires full partnership between parents of children with
disabilities and education professionals in the design and
implementation of the educational services provided to children with
disabilities;
Whereas IDEA has supported the classrooms of this Nation by providing Federal
resources to the States and local schools to help meet their obligation
to educate all children with disabilities;
Whereas while the Federal Government has not yet met its commitment to fund part
B of IDEA at 40 percent of the average per pupil expenditure, it has
made significant increases in part B funding by increasing the
appropriation by 81 percent since 2001, which is an increase of over
$5,160,000,000;
Whereas IDEA has supported, through its discretionary programs, more than 4
decades of research, demonstration, and training in effective practices
for educating and assessing children with disabilities, enabling
teachers, related services personnel, and administrators to effectively
meet the instructional and assessment needs of children with
disabilities of all ages;
Whereas the challenges associated with providing a free appropriate public
education to every child with a disability continue despite 35 years of
IDEA implementation, including low expectations and an insufficient
focus on applying replicable research on proven methods of teaching and
learning for children with disabilities, requiring a continued
commitment to improvement; and
Whereas IDEA continues to serve as the framework to marshal the resources of
this Nation to implement the promise of full participation in society of
children with disabilities: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),
That the Congress--
(1) recognizes the 35th anniversary of the enactment of the
Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 (Public Law
94-142);
(2) acknowledges the many and varied contributions of
children with disabilities and their parents, teachers, related
services personnel, and administrators; and
(3) reaffirms its support for the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.) so that all
children with disabilities have--
(A) access to a free appropriate public education;
and
(B) an equal opportunity to benefit from the
general education curriculum and be prepared for
further education, employment, and independent living.
Passed the House of Representatives November 18, 2010.
Attest:
Clerk.
111th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. CON. RES. 329
_______________________________________________________________________
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Recognizing the 35th anniversary of the enactment of the Education for
All Handicapped Children Act of 1975.