Assistive Technology Act
Marked Up in the House
FY ¹05 Budget Update
Ed Dept. Issues Guidance on NCLB
Assistive Technology Act Marked
Up in the House
FICC to Meet on June 9
50th Anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education
House Holds Hearing on Autism Spectrum Disorders Initiatives
FY ¹05 Budget Update
The House passed the conference report on S.Con.Res. 95, the FY Œ05 Budget Resolution,
Wednesday night by a vote of 216 to 213. Nine Republicans crossed party lines
to vote with the Democrats; they were: Representatives Franks (AZ), Gerlach (PA),
Goode (VA), Hefley (CO), Hostettler, (IN) Jones (NC), Paul (TX), Simmons (CT),
Smith (NJ). Independent Representative Bernie Sanders (VT) also voted with the
Democrats to oppose the conference report.
The resolution calls for $2.4 trillion in total spending next year, with aggregate
discretionary spending set at $821 billion. To see how your Representative voted,
click here: (Roll no. 198).
There are no specific assumed funding levels, as was the case in the FY Œ04 Budget
Resolution. The conference report provides ³sufficient funding² to accommodate
the President¹s increases for Title I and IDEA.
The conference report would extend pay-as-you-go rules for one year only while
exempting the three popular tax cuts protected under reconciliation. The deal
does not include reconciliation instructions to cut mandatory spending.
http://www.house.gov/budget/fy05stmntmngrs.pdf
for Joint Statement of Managers
http://www.house.gov/budget/fy05confagrmntleg.pdf
for Legislative Text
The conference report provides Function 500, Education and Related programs, with
a discretionary spending total of $81 billion in budget authority and $80.7 billion
in outlays for FY Œ05. The increase for discretionary budget authority over FY
Œ04 is $2.9 billion or a 3.7% increase.
The Pell Grant shortfall is not explicitly mentioned except that the conferees
will work with appropriators to ensure a ³financially sound and robust program².
The conference report also provides a deficit-neutral reserve fund for higher
education reauthorization any increase for this purpose would require a cut
in mandatory outlays.
The Senate may vote on the conference report as early as today. Reportedly, Republican
moderates are still opposed to the one-year pay-as-you-go deal.
Ed Dept. Issues Guidance on NCLB
Standards and Assessments Peer Review Guidance. On April 28, 2004, the
Education Department issued guidance to inform States about what would be useful
evidence to demonstrate that they have met NCLB standards and assessments requirements;
and to guide teams of peer reviewers who will examine the evidence submitted by
States and advise the Department as to whether a State has met the requirements.
To read the guidance, go to: http://www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/guid/saaprguidance.pdf
Parental Involvement. On April 29, 2004, the Education Department issued
non-regulatory guidance to assist SEAs, LEAs, and schools in administering the
parental involvement provisions of Title I, Part A of the ESEA. This guidance
answers questions about and clarifies aspects of the law that have been brought
to the attention of the U.S. Department of Education (ED). To read the non-regulatory
guidance, go to: http://www.ed.gov/programs/titleiparta/parentinvguid.pdf
Assistive Technology Act Marked Up in the House
On May 19, 2004, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce (Boehner,
R-Ohio) ordered reported H.R. 4278, the "Improving Access to Assistive Technology
for Individuals with Disabilities Act of 2004" (McKeon, R-Cal.), as amended. The
bill would amend the Assistive Technology Act of 1998 to support programs of grants
to States to address the assistive technology needs of individuals with disabilities,
and for other purposes. To follow the bill¹s progress, go to http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d108:h.r.04278:.
To read CEC/TAM¹s recommendations made to Congress on assistive technology, go
to: http://www.cec.sped.org/pp/ATRecommendations.pdf
CEC is currently analyzing the House bill and will provide a summary in the near
future. We expect the Senate to mark up its bill soon.
FICC to Meet on June 9
In the May 19, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 97) Federal Register, the Federal Interagency
Coordinating Council Meeting (FICC) announced that it will hold a meeting on June
9 to discuss policy issues related to educational services for young children
with autism and their families.
The meeting, which is open to the public, will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30
p.m. at the American Institutes for Research, 1000 Thomas Jefferson Street, NW.,
Conference Rooms B & C, 2nd Floor, Washington, DC 20007.
For more information, contact: Obral Vance, U.S. Department of Education, 330
C Street, SW., Room 3090, Switzer Building, Washington, DC 20202. Telephone: (202)
205-5507 (press 3). Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf
(TDD) may call (202) 205-5637.
50th Anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education
The Senate agreed to H. Con. Res. 414, expressing the sense of the Congress that,
as Congress recognizes the 50th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education
decision, all Americans are encouraged to observe this anniversary with a commitment
to continuing and building on the legacy of Brown.
House Holds Hearing on Autism Spectrum Disorders Initiatives
On Thursday, May 6, the House Government Reform Committee's Subcommittee on Human
Rights and Wellness held a hearing to examine the advances in Federal Government
initiatives, as well as new treatments that have been shown to benefit the medical
condition of individuals afflicted with an Autism Spectrum Disorder.
The Subcommittee heard testimony from the following witnesses:
* Troy Justesen, Acting Deputy Asst. Sec. of the Office of Special Ed and Rehabilitative
Services, Dept. of Education
* Dr. Rashid Buttar, Creator of a Transdermal Chelator
* Dr. Paul Harch, President of International Hyperbaric Medical Association
* Dr. Ken Stoller
* Ms. Julie Gordon, Founder and Director of MUMS (Mothers United for Moral Support)
According to Subcommittee Chair Dan Burton, the incidences of autism have become
increasingly prevalent in modern-day society. Once considered a rare disease,
effecting roughly 1 in 10,000 children, autism now affects 1.5 Million of our
Nation¹s children.
³According to a recent ³Autism Alarm² released by the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services (HHS),² Burton noted, ³the Centers for Disease Control (CDC),
and the American Academy of Pediatrics, currently 1 out of every 6 children are
diagnosed with a developmental disorder and/or behavioral problem. Even more alarming,
today 1 out of every 166 children in the United States is being diagnosed with
an Autism Spectrum Disorder. This major healthcare crisis is clearly reaching
epidemic proportions, and will not just simply ³go away.²
In response, the United States government has established an Interagency Autism
Coordinating Committee (IACC), which is comprised of representatives from HHS,
the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Education, as well as various
non-governmental organizations and parental support groups. The IACC meets on
a bi-annual basis to discuss and coordinate the various research projects with
regard to autism, as well as to keep an open dialogue in addressing the numerous
healthcare and educational needs of individuals with autism.
In addition, HHS and the Department of Education sponsored the first-ever ³National
Autism Summit² in November 2003. ³Some of the best scientific and medical researchers,
as well as autism activists, key Members of Congress, and a host of parental support
groups initiated an open dialogue on the status of research initiatives,² Burton
explained. ³This summit was essential to bridging the relationship between the
government, non-governmental organizations, and private citizens.²
In his testimony before the Subcommittee, Troy Justesen explained the status of
Federal Government autism initiatives. To read his complete statement, go to the
Subcommittee¹s Web site at: http://reform.house.gov/WHR/Hearings/EventSingle.aspx?EventID=986
The Subcommittee also heard testimony concerning the possible link between autism
and mercury exposure, as well as ways to safely eliminate mercury from the body.
However, on Tuesday, the Institute of Medicine stated that there is no credible
evidence that links autism with vaccinations containing the mercury-based preservative
thimerosal. The 14-member panel of experts did urge more research on autism, but
recommended that parents continue to make sure that their children receive their
routine childhood immunizations as scheduled.
© 2004 ConnSENSE
Bulletin
