House Appropriations Committee Approves Fiscal Year 2023 budget proposal including glidepath to full funding of IDEA
On Thursday, the U.S. House Appropriations Committee approved the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 bill for Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies. The bill largely reflects President Biden’s budget request, with an emphasis on improving educational conditions for underserved communities. The bill provides major increases to Title I and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and a significant investment in school-based mental health personnel. Among the programs CEC has advocated in support of, the bill puts the IDEA grants to states program on the first step toward full funding and provides $1 billion to be divided between the Mental Health Services Professional Demonstration Grants and School-Based Mental Health Services Grants to help districts increase the number of mental health and child development experts in schools (those programs are currently funded at $55 million and $56 million respectively). Overall, the proposal increases the Department of Education (ED) by approximately 13 percent. The full House of Representatives is expected to consider the measure later this month when the Senate could also begin work on its bill. However, top-line spending levels have not been agreed to yet, and without that agreement, these bills are unlikely to pass in the Senate where bipartisanship is required to advance spending bills. Nevertheless, the advancement of this bill is an important step in the process of finalizing funding for FY 2023.
Below are details about the programs CEC proactively advocates for:
| Program | FY 2022 | CEC request | FY 2023 Budget Proposal | FY 2023 House Bill |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IDEA Part B grants to states | $13.3 billion | $16.3 billion | $16.3 billion | $16.3 billion |
| IDEA Part B preschool grants | $410 million | $503 million | $503 million | $440 million |
| IDEA Part C infants and toddlers | $496 million | $932 million | $932 million | $621 million |
| IDEA Part D personnel preparation | $95 million | $300 million | $250 million | $250 million |
| Javits Gifted and Talented Grants Program | $14.5 million | $32 million | $13.5 million | $16.5 million |
| National Center for Special Education Research | $60.3 million | $70 million | $58.5 million | $64 million |
To learn more about the House bill, go here.