STAND. COM. REP. NO.1662

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2001

RE: S.C.R. No. 97

S.D. 2

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2001

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 97, S.D. 1, entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS TO APPROPRIATE FUNDS FOR FORTY PERCENT OF THE COST OF SPECIAL EDUCATION AND RELATED SERVICES FOR CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to urge Hawaii's congressional delegation to coordinate efforts in the United States Congress to obtain funding for forty percent of the cost of special education and related services for children with disabilities.

Your Committee finds that under Title 20, section 1411(a) of the United States Code, the maximum amount of federal funds that a state may receive for special education and related services is the number of children with disabilities in the state who are receiving special education and related services multiplied by forty percent of the average per-pupil expenditure in public elementary and secondary schools in the United States.

Since the enactment of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 and its subsequent amendments, including the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1990, however, Congress has appropriated funds for a maximum of ten percent of special education and related services for children with disabilities when federal law authorizes the appropriation of up to forty percent.

The Hawaii Department of Education received approximately $23,500,000 in federal funds during fiscal year 1999-2000 for what was then referred to as "education of the handicapped". If this figure represented an appropriation of funds for ten percent of special education and related services for children with disabilities, then an appropriation of forty percent would have equaled $94,000,000.

Your Committee has amended this measure by changing its title to reflect the substantive amendments made previously by your Committees on Education and Human Services.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 97, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 97, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

____________________________

BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Chair