 |
|||||
|
|
 |
||||
| HHS LEGISLATIVE CHANGES by Anne L. Henry The 2003 Legislature
adjourned late on May 29 after tackling a $4.5 billion budget deficit
during the regular and a special session. Early in the regular session,
Governor Pawlenty unallotted $281 million in order to balance the budget
for 2003. The budget for the next biennium, beginning July 1, 2003,
was balanced with shifts, fee and other revenue increases, and deep
cuts to many programs and services for persons with disabilities (PWD)—but
without a tax increase, as the governor had promised during his campaign.
. . . |
|||||
|
IDEA Reauthorization Bill Despite opposition from nearly every national parent and advocacy organization, and many teacher groups, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 1350 in April to reauthorize the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). IDEA is considered
a civil rights act for children with disabilities because it guarantees
a free, appropriate public education. Originally passed in 1975, it
affects 6.5 million American children. Before the IDEA, many children
with disabilities were shut away at home or institutionalized; today,
with IDEA, they receive the education and skills needed to be productive
members of the community.
. . . |
|||||
|
|Current
Issue|Top Stories|Columns|In
This Issue|In Brief| © All rights reserved
to Access Press Inc. |
|||||
