03/26/2008 01:30 PM Senate HEALTH, EDUCATION & SOCIAL SERVICES

           HJR 29-FEDERAL FUNDING FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION                                                                     
                                                                                                                              
CHAIR DAVIS announced consideration of HJR 29.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE   HAWKER,  sponsor   by   request,  Alaska   State                                                               
Legislature, presented  an overview of  HJR 29. He said  this was                                                               
one  of   the  recommendations  that   came  out  of   the  Joint                                                               
Legislative  Education  Task  Force,  which he  chaired.  It  was                                                               
included  in the  Task Force  recommendations at  the request  of                                                               
Senator Ellis, who  was very concerned with the  issue of federal                                                               
government  living up  to its  commitment to  fund education  for                                                               
children with disabilities. Congress  passed the Individuals With                                                               
Disabilities  Education Act  subject  to future  funding and  the                                                               
federal government  would appropriate a  sum equal to  40 percent                                                               
of the  average per-pupil expenditure  for education  of students                                                               
under that  Act. The evidence  brought forward by  the Department                                                               
of Education was that the spending  had been closed to 16 percent                                                               
rather than  40 percent;  this resolution  was intended  to state                                                               
the  position  of  the  Alaska   Legislature,  that  the  federal                                                               
government should fund to the 40 percent level.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
1:37:32 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR THOMAS  said he  found the wording  odd. The  bill reads,                                                               
"free,   appropriate,   public   education  for   students   with                                                               
disabilities" but  amounts to only  40 percent and was  not doing                                                               
even that.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  HAWKER  responded  that  Senator  Ellis's  office                                                               
recommended the  exact wording and  it conformed to  the language                                                               
of the federal statute.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR DAVIS added that when  they passed the federal statute, the                                                               
federal government agreed  to give 40 percent  toward the funding                                                               
of  special  education; they  did  not.  There being  no  further                                                               
comment, she expressed her desire  to move this resolution out of                                                               
committee and asked for the will of the body in that regard.                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  THOMAS moved  to report  HJR  29 out  of committee  with                                                               
individual recommendations  and zero fiscal note(s).  There being                                                               
no objection, the motion carried.