On to the Senate!
Despite opposition from LDA and virtually every other national
parent organization, thousands of individuals who signed petitions
or participated in the National IDEA call-in day and many teacher
groups, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 1350 on April
30th to reauthorize the Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act (IDEA).
On April 29th the House Committee on Education and Workforce SENT
HOUSE REPUBLICANS A DEAR REPUBLICAN COLLEAGUE LETTER WHICH accused
opponents of the bill (that would be us!) of "spreading false
and misleading information." The House voted the next day,
largely along party lines. It is clear that the House paid more
attention to certain lobbying groups than they did to parents, teachers
and advocates.
H.R. 1350 is controversial because it rewrites sections of the
current law and deletes many provisions that protect the rights
of children with disabilities. In spite of the numerous concerns
from many quarters about this bill, House authors did not significantly
change it and pushed to pass it quickly.
Action now shifts to the Senate.
Our sources indicate that the Senate is currently writing a bill
that will be released near Memorial Day. It is said that upon release,
there will be a two-week comment period before the bill is voted
upon in Committee. This means parents, advocates and others concerned
about IDEA Reauthorization have a short timeline to make an impact
on the Senate bill. YOUR HELP IS NEEDED NOW!
The Senate will be on recess from May 26th-May 30th. Many Senators
will be in their state, making public appearances and meeting with
groups. Please do the following during the next two weeks:
- Write a letter to your two Senators with this main message:
"Please support a strong bipartisan IDEA reauthorization
bill that will not remove existing rights for children with disabilities."
A sample letter is on the LDA website home page where the Capitol
Building icon says “Write to Congress.” Enter your
zip code and go directly to your Senators’ email addresses.
(You can also find their fax numbers there.)
Or write a letter that shares some of the personal stories that
show the benefits your child has received from special education
support services. Drop the letter off in person to your Senators'
state offices. If you can't visit in person, fax a letter to the
Senator's local and Washington, D.C. offices.
- Find out where your Senators are scheduled to appear in public
while on recess. If possible, attend the event and then introduce
yourselves afterwards. Tell the Senators how important IDEA is
to children with disabilities and encourage the Senators to support
a strong bipartisan bill that will not remove existing rights
for students with disabilities.
- Share this update with others in your networks. Watch for alerts
and be ready to activate your networks. Start now by distributing
this update to your networks along with the sample letters.
- In the House, 34 Democrats supported HF 1350 and seven Republicans
voted against it. Find out how your Representative voted. THE
REPORT OF THE VOTE ON THE BILL CAN BE FOUND AT WWW.THOMAS.LOC.GOV
If the vote supported the bill, fax a letter to the local office,
stating your disappointment.
IDEA has always been reauthorized with bipartisan support. Do not
assume that your Senators will vote based on party lines. All Senators
must be contacted regularly. We don't want the Senate to be able
to say that parents and advocates didn't weigh in on this important
bill. We also do not want them to rely upon the information provided
by lobbyists who often have a different perspective on IDEA and
children with disabilities.
Thanks for your help. If we work hard with a common message, we
have a chance to ensure that there will be a strong Federal IDEA
law for children. |
