Senate and House Appropriations Labor, HHS, Ed Committee Bill (Passed)
In the Senate, this bill was passed in committee with strong bipartisan support of a 26-3 vote. The bill rejected the Administration’s proposal to eliminate funding for the University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDDs) and consolidate them under the Independent Living program, protected funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) by blocking proposals to reduce or restructure funding, and maintains IDEA funding at just over $15 billion, consistent with FY2025 levels. The bill includes strong protections requiring no IDEA funds or programs can be transferred to other agencies. The Department of Education must maintain adequate staffing to carry out its responsibilities. This bill safeguards special education funding and preserves critical disability-related programs.
In the House, the bill was passed in committee, but it differs from the Senate bill. The bill maintains funding for IDEA at FY2025 levels but does not include the Senate’s added protections for fund distribution. It continues funding for essential disability programs, including PAIMI (Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness), PAVA (Protection and Advocacy for Voting Access), PAIR (Protection and Advocacy for Individual Rights), UCEDDs, Developmental Disabilities (DD) Councils, Independent Living Programs, DD Projects of National Significance, and Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics. The bill provides a slight funding increase for the Mental Health Block Grant, a slight decrease for the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), and a large decrease in Title I Grants to LEAs.