I 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8523 

To support children with disabilities during the COVID–19 pandemic. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

OCTOBER 2, 2020 

Mr. SCHIFF (for himself and Ms. JOHNSON of Texas) introduced the following 

bill; which was referred to the Committee on Appropriations, and in addition to the Committee on the Budget, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 

as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To support children with disabilities during the COVID– 

19 pandemic. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Supporting Children 

5 with Disabilities During COVID–19 Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 

8 (1) A free appropriate public education is a 

9 fundamental educational right of all children with 


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1 disabilities, guaranteed by the Rehabilitation Act of 

2 1973 (29 U.S.C. 701 et seq.) and the Individuals 

3 with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1400 et 

4 seq.). 

5 (2) More than 7,000,000 school-aged children 

6 with disabilities, approximately 13 percent of the 

7 total student enrollment, are currently entitled to in8 dividualized education and related services mandated 

9 by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. 

10 (3) Nearly 500,000 infants and toddlers, as 

11 well as their families, receive supports and services 

12 under the Individuals with Disabilities Education 

13 Act and these early interventions have been proven 

14 to improve education outcomes. 

15 (4) Under the Individuals with Disabilities Edu16 cation Act, schools and lead agencies responsible for 

17 the administration of funds under part C of the In18 dividuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 

19 1431 et seq.) (referred to in this Act as ‘‘lead agen20 cies’’) are required to provide early intervention, spe21 cial education, and related services to children with 

22 disabilities, an obligation that requires services out23 lined in a child’s individualized family service plan 

24 (referred to as an ‘‘IFSP’’) or individualized edu25 cation program (referred to as an ‘‘IEP’’). 


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1 (5) Children with disabilities have been dis2 proportionately impacted by the disruptions to edu3 cation resulting from the COVID–19 pandemic, with 

4 many children with disabilities needing additional 

5 supports and services to meet their IEP and IFSP 

6 goals as the delivery of education and services has 

7 shifted from in-person to remote formats. 

8 (6) Local educational agencies and lead agen9 cies face extra costs associated with adjusting serv10 ices and continuing to provide a free, appropriate 

11 public education while children with disabilities are 

12 receiving services through distance learning and re13 mote service delivery. 

14 (7) Schools are facing unprecedented budget 

15 challenges due to the rising costs of responding to 

16 COVID–19, coupled with State and local revenue 

17 shortfalls. 

18 (8) To ensure that schools and lead agencies 

19 continue to meet the needs of children with disabil20 ities and their families, including providing trained 

21 and certified special educators and education sup22 port specialists, emergency supplemental funding is 

23 needed under the Individuals with Disabilities Edu24 cation Act. 


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1 (9) Emergency supplemental funding is also 

2 needed under the Assistive Technology Act of 1998 

3 (29 U.S.C. 3001 et seq.) because services provided 

4 under that Act help ensure that students with dis5 abilities have the technology they need to access 

6 equal educational opportunities. 

7 SEC. 3. SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—The following sums are appro9 priated, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise 

10 appropriated, for the fiscal year ending September 30, 

11 2021: 

12 (1) $11,000,000,000 for grants to States under 

13 section 611 of the Individuals with Disabilities Edu14 cation Act (20 U.S.C. 1411 et seq.). 

15 (2) For early childhood education programs— 

16 (A) $400,000,000 for preschool grants 

17 under section 619 of the Individuals with Dis18 abilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1419); and 

19 (B) $500,000,000 for programs for infants 

20 and toddlers under part C of the Individuals 

21 with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 

22 1431 et seq.). 

23 (3) $300,000,000 for personnel development 

24 under section 662 of the Individuals with Disabilities 

25 Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1462). 


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1 (4) $55,000,000 for the Assistive Technology 

2 Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 3001 et seq.). 

3 (b) EMERGENCY DESIGNATION.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—The amounts provided by 

5 this section are designated as an emergency require6 ment pursuant to section 4(g) of the Statutory Pay7 As-You-Go Act of 2010 (2 U.S.C. 933(g)). 

8 (2) DESIGNATION IN SENATE.—In the Senate, 

9 this Act is designated as an emergency requirement 

10 pursuant to section 4112(a) of H. Con. Res. 71 

11 (115th Congress), the concurrent resolution on the 

12 budget for fiscal year 2018. 

13 (c) APPLICABILITY OF ALL TERMS AND CONDI14 TIONS.—All terms and conditions that apply to a program 

15 under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 

16 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.) or the Assistive Technology Act of 

17 1998 (29 U.S.C. 3001 et seq.), as the case may be, shall 

18 apply with respect to support provided for the program 

19 through funds made available under subsection (a). 

20 (d) GENERAL PROVISIONS.—Any amount appro21 priated under this section is in addition to other amounts 

22 appropriated or made available for the applicable purpose. 

23 SEC. 4. REPORTING. 

24 (a) IDEA FUNDS.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—Recipients of funds made 

2 available under this Act for activities authorized 

3 under the Individuals with Disabilities Education 

4 Act shall separately account for, and report on, how 

5 such funds are spent in accordance with this section. 

6 (2) LEAS.—Not later than 1 year after the dis7 tribution of funds under this Act, local educational 

8 agencies shall report the use of funds appropriated 

9 in this Act to their respective State educational 

10 agencies. 

11 (3) SEAS.—Not later than 1 year after the dis12 tribution of funds under this Act, State educational 

13 agencies shall produce a publicly available report 

14 that contains information about such spending by 

15 each local educational agency in the State and ag16 gregate spending of local educational agencies in the 

17 State by allowable uses under Individuals with Dis18 abilities Education Act. Each State educational 

19 agency shall make that report available in an acces20 sible manner on the website of the State educational 

21 agency and submit the report to the Secretary of 

22 Education. 

23 (4) LEAD AGENCY.—Not later than 1 year after 

24 the distribution of funds under this Act, each lead 

25 agency responsible for the administration of funds 


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1 provided under part C of the Individuals with Dis2 abilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1431 et seq.) 

3 shall prepare and submit to the Secretary of Edu4 cation a report that contains information about how 

5 the lead agency spent funds appropriated under this 

6 Act. 

7 (5) SECRETARY OF EDUCATION.—The Sec8 retary of Education shall release a nationally rep9 resentative report on expenditures under this Act 

10 and send such report to the Committee on Appro11 priations and the Committee on Health, Education, 

12 Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the Com13 mittee on Appropriations and the Committee on 

14 Education and Labor of the House of Representa15 tives. Not later than 1 year after the distribution of 

16 funds under this Act, the Secretary of Education’s 

17 report shall be placed on the Department of Edu18 cation’s website in an accessible format. 

19 (b) ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY ACT OF 1998.— 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—Recipients of funds made 

21 available under this Act for activities authorized 

22 under the Assistive Technology Act of 1998 (29 

23 U.S.C. 3001 et seq.) shall separately account for, 

24 and report on, how such funds are spent in accord25 ance with this subsection. 


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1 (2) SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERV2 ICES.—Not later than 1 year after the distribution 

3 of funds under this Act, the Secretary of Health and 

4 Human Services shall release a nationally represent5 ative report on expenditures made available under 

6 this Act for activities authorized under the Assistive 

7 Technology Act of 1998. 

Æ 


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