IDEA Funding for FY 2021 Still Pending: Update November 2020

The U.S. Congress has yet to settle on appropriations for Fiscal Year 2021 which began on October 1, 2020. Here’s what has happened so far:

  • On July 31, 2020 the House of Representatives passed H.R. 7617, a bill to fund several federal agencies for the FY 2021 including the U.S. Dept. of Education. It provided a small increase ($194 million) in IDEA Grants to States. The bill was sent to the Senate for consideration. The Senate failed to act.
  • On September 30, 2020 the Congress passed and the President signed HR 8337, a bill to extend fiscal 2020 funding for the U.S. Department of Education and other agencies through Dec. 11, 2020. This will keep IDEA funding at the FY 20 level until Dec. 11, 2020 or until Congress passes an appropriations bill. More here.
  • On November 10, 2020 the Senate Appropriations Committee passed a bill to fund the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and Education which includes $12.9 billion for IDEA Part B grants to states (a $125 million increase from FY 2020) and $485 million for IDEA Part C grants to states (a $8 million increase from FY 2020).

Congress must either finalize a FY 2021 appropriations bill to fund the
Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and Education by December 11, 2020 OR pass another continuing resolution. Either way, it looks like there will be little if any increased IDEA funding, leaving Federal funding for IDEA far below the amount promised.

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