H.R. 6932 — IDEAL Act

This section sets forth congressional findings on the 50th anniversary of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)—originally enacted as the Education for All Handicapped Children Act on November 29, 1975—including its guarantee of a free appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment for students with disabilities, the pre-1975 exclusion of more than 1 million such children from public schools, and its current coverage of nearly 8 million students (approximately 15% of public school enrollment).

This section rescinds all unobligated balances of amounts appropriated under the Department of Education heading for FY2026 and transfers an equivalent amount as supplemental funding to state grants under section 611 of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) (20 U.S.C. 1411) for FY2026 through 2029, to the extent that other IDEA section 611 funding for those years remains equivalent, accounting for inflation, to FY2025 levels. (1) The transferred funds are allocated to states in accordance with section 611's formula—based on each state's population of children with disabilities aged 3 through 21 and 40% of the national average per-pupil expenditure—and merged with other section 611 funds while supplementing, not supplanting, such amounts. (Section 611 provides formula grants to states, outlying areas, and freely associated states—and funds to the Secretary of the Interior—to support special education and related services for children with disabilities.) (2) Not later than 90 days after the rescission, the Secretary of Education must report to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees on the rescinded amounts and state allocations under this section.