Congressional Record
Proceedings and Debates of the 102d Congress, first session
Vol. 137
Washington, Tuesday, May 21, 1991
No. 77

Senate

Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, I rise in support of H.R. 2127, the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1991. The bill, which extends the expiring program authorities of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 for 1 year, also amends the Early Intervention Services Program authorized under part H of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

THE 1973 REHABILITATION ACT
Congress has long recognized the importance of providing programs and services that enable people with disabilities to enjoy lives of dignity and productivity. Under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, a network of programs and services has been established to assist Americans with disabilities to prepare for employment and to develop independent living skills. In order to achieve the inclusion of people with disabilities into the work force and the community, the act provides funds for several broad program categories, including individual services, research programs, personnel training, and demonstration projects.

The centerpiece of the act is the Federal-State Vocational Rehabilitation Program, which provides Federal grants to States to help locate and obtain jobs for people with physical and mental disabilities. Some of the other important programs and institutions eligible for the 1-year extension include the supported employment services for individuals with Severe Handicaps Program, rehabilitation training grants, comprehensive services for independent living, the projects with industry program, the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, and the special demonstration projects.

INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES EDUCATION ACT
The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), formerly the Education of the Handicapped Act (EHA), is an integral part of our Nation's effort to ensure that children with disabilities have the opportunity to reach their fullest potential. Sadly, for many years, our Nation legally prevented children with disabilities from enjoying the social and academic benefits of public education. In 1975, against the background of exclusion, Congress established a framework or services and programs to ensure children with disabilities, ages 3 to 21, an enforceable right to a free appropriate public education.

Since the enactment of IDEA, Congress has come to recognize the important of providing early intervention services for infants and toddlers with disabilities. Statistical and anecdotal evidence underscores the need for services and programs designed to help these special children prepare for learning. While access to a free appropriate public education is critical to the development of all children, it is essential to prime those with special developmental needs for the rigors of the classroom. 

In 1936, Congress created an optional State grant program to assist in the establishment of statewide systems for early intervention services. This early intervention program, known as part H, is targeted to children from birth through 2 years of age who are developmentally delayed, infants and toddlers "at-risk" of substantial developmental delay, or children with physical or mental conditions that will probably result in substantial delay. Although part H focuses on the needs of infants and toddlers, it also recognizes the needs and importance of the family.

Mr. President, this bill amends the Early Intervention Services Program. It creates a mechanism, known as differential participation, to enable the continued participation in part H of States having difficulty adhering to the program's original 5-year time line. The new funding mechanism is very simple, and all States are going to benefit from this improvement. 

The differential participation provision provides rewards for those States submitting applications on time, and allows others experiencing fiscal hardship to become eligible for two, 1-year extensions. All States granted extensions by the Secretary are allowed to remain in the program, with funding frozen at current levels of support. Then, the portion of the appropriations not distributed to the extension States is to be reallocated to the online States. Any remaining grant money is to be re-allocated to those extension States with programs in place, demonstrating compliance with fourth-year requirements. 

I am proud that Kansas was among the first States to successfully apply for a fourth-year grant under the part H program. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment, the Kansas Interagency Coordinating Council, and service providers across the State, such as the Early Childhood Development Center in Hays and the McPherson County Special Education Cooperative, deserve tremendous credit for their hard work and dedicated efforts on behalf of the youngest, most vulnerable Kansans.

Mr. President, I ask my colleagues to support the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1991. As a nation, we must ensure that children with disabilities have equal access to a free education, and the corresponding opportunities to develop into independent and productive members of our Nation's communities.