States findings of the Legislature and calls on Congress to pass and fully fund legislation that fulfills the 40% federal funding commitment in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO Sixty-eighth Legislature Second Regular Session - 2026 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL NO. 11 BY EDUCATION COMMITTEE A JOINT MEMORIAL1 TO THE SENATE AND THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES IN CON-2 GRESS ASSEMBLED, TO THE CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION REPRESENTING THE3 STATE OF IDAHO IN THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES, TO THE PRESIDENT OF4 THE UNITED STATES, TO THE IDAHO SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION,5 AND TO THE UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF EDUCATION.6 We, your Memorialists, the House of Representatives and the Sen-7 ate of the State of Idaho assembled in the Second Regular Session of the8 Sixty-eighth Idaho Legislature, do hereby respectfully represent that:9 WHEREAS, in 1975, Congress enacted the Education for All Handicapped10 Children Act, now known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act11 (IDEA), guaranteeing that children with disabilities receive a free, appro-12 priate public education in the least restrictive environment; and13 WHEREAS, before the enactment of IDEA, many children with disabilities14 were placed in restrictive settings and provided only minimal food, cloth-15 ing, and shelter. The children's families were not afforded the opportunity16 to take part in planning or placement decisions for their child; and17 WHEREAS, with IDEA's passage, Congress committed to provide up to 40%18 of the national average per-pupil expenditure in federal funding toward the19 "excess cost" of educating children with disabilities. This formula has re-20 mained a central feature of IDEA funding; and21 WHEREAS, in the nearly 50 years since IDEA's passage, the federal gov-22 ernment has never met this 40% funding commitment; and23 WHEREAS, according to the Congressional Research Service and other24 analyses, current federal IDEA funding covers only a fraction of the 40%25 originally committed in the law. Federal IDEA funding in Idaho is approxi-26 mately 12%; and27 WHEREAS, the continual shortfall in federal IDEA funding has placed28 a growing financial burden on taxpayers, school districts, families, and29 state legislatures, undermining the law's promise and limiting resources30 available for students with disabilities; and31 WHEREAS, parents, advocates, and legislators have repeatedly advocated32 for legislation requiring Congress to meet its long-standing commitment33 through mandatory, regular increases in IDEA funding; and34 WHEREAS, students with disabilities become adults within communities,35 and improved outcomes for students with disabilities strengthen the commu-36 nity by preparing them to contribute as members of the future workforce, en-37 gaged citizens, and parents of future generations; and38 WHEREAS, in recent reintroductions, the IDEA Full Funding Act has gar-39 nered bipartisan support and broad backing from national organizations, re-40 inforcing the urgency of fulfilling the original federal commitment; and41 WHEREAS, fully funding IDEA is not only a moral and legal obligation but42 also a wise financial investment because stable and adequate federal support43

2 helps ensure high-quality special education services, improves outcomes for1 students with disabilities, and relieves pressure on taxpayers and state and2 local education budgets.3 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the members of the Second Regular Ses-4 sion of the Sixty-eighth Idaho Legislature, the House of Representatives and5 the Senate concurring therein, that the Idaho Legislature strongly urges the6 United States Congress to pass and fully fund legislation that fulfills the7 federal commitment to provide up to 40% of the national average per-pupil ex-8 penditure for the excess cost of educating children with disabilities under9 IDEA. The Legislature encourages Idaho's congressional delegation to sup-10 port increasing mandatory, sustained federal IDEA funding so that the 40%11 target is reached within a reasonable, defined timeline. The Legislature12 calls on the President of the United States to endorse fully funding IDEA and13 to propose in the President's annual budget the mandatory increases neces-14 sary to meet the 40% commitment.15 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature directs the Idaho Superin-16 tendent of Public Instruction to provide an annual overview of how federal17 IDEA funding supports Idaho's commitment to high-quality, inclusive special18 education services, including examples of effective practices, innovative19 supports, and areas where increased federal investment would enhance sus-20 tainability and long-term program strength.21 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature encourages the United22 States Department of Education to provide clear, accessible information23 about nationwide and statewide IDEA funding levels that will help Idaho con-24 tinue to plan proactively, celebrate progress, and advocate for Congress to25 fulfill the long-standing federal funding commitment.26 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Chief Clerk of the House of Representa-27 tives be, and she is hereby authorized and directed to forward a copy of this28 Memorial to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Rep-29 resentatives of Congress, to the congressional delegation representing the30 State of Idaho in the Congress of the United States, to the President of the31 United States, to the Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction, and to the32 United States Secretary of Education.33