Congress balks at delinquency funding

Congress is balking at appropriating the $2.2 billion authorized for special education grants to benefit at-risk children with disabilities.

The House authorized the funding in its special education authorization bill, HR 1350, but the Senate did not set a level in its version, S 1248. The appropriations

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act requires the federal government to provide 40 percent of funding to benefit children with physical and learning disabilities, but Congress has yet to fulfill that commitment.

The likely underfunding for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1 comes at a time when cash-strapped states are likely to pull back as well.

In a report to the White House, the National Council on Disability recommended the federal government meet its commitment to more than 50,000 incarcerated youths with serious mental disorders or attention deficit disorder.

The council also said the IDEA program has resulted in youths being disciplined inappropriately.