ICYMI: Hassan-backed Bipartisan Bill to Defend Special Education & Block Trump Administration Dismantling of Department of Education Passes Committee

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) recently helped advance through the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee bipartisan legislation that she cosponsored that would protect special education programs at the Department of Education. S.5046 prohibits the Department of Education from transferring the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services and other parts of the Department of Education to unrelated departments as the Trump Administration has sought as part of its efforts to abolish the Department of Education. Additionally, two of Senator Hassan’s bills to improve K-12 literacy outcomes and help students with disabilities access higher education, also passed committee.

“My son was able to go to school with his peers, make friends, and graduate from high school thanks to special education programs made possible by the federal government. The Department of Education is the only cabinet department focused on our children’s futures, and the Trump Administration’s efforts to dismantle this agency and undermine special education programs makes it harder for all children, regardless of ability, to be fully included,” said Senator Hassan. “I’m glad to see this bipartisan bill to block these pointless transfers advance from Committee and I will continue to work to ensure that all students have access to a high-quality education.”

S.5046 prevents the Department of Education from circumventing the law and Congressional intent and relinquishing the Offices of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, Postsecondary Education, Elementary and Secondary Education, and Indian Education, or any programs within those offices.

The HELP Committee also passed two Hassan-led bills to improve K-12 literacy outcomes and remove barriers that students with disabilities face when trying to access higher education:

• The bipartisan Reading Excellence and Achievement for Development (READ) Act, which Senator Hassan co-led with Senator Cassidy (R-LA) helps ensure that federal education investments are going toward evidence-based interventions rooted in the science of reading. The READ Act helps advance evidence-based strategies like early literacy screeners for detecting reading difficulties before a student falls too far behind. The bill deploys reading specialists and instructional coaches so that teachers have more support, ensures that teacher preparation programs train educators with up-to-date teaching practices for effective literacy instruction, and empowers states, local communities, and parents with more resources to help students learn to read.

• The bipartisan Respond, Innovate, Succeed, and Empower (RISE) Act, which Senator Hassan co-led with Senator Banks (R-IN) helps students with disabilities succeed in higher education. The bill requires colleges and universities to accept disability documentation that students already used in high school so that students are not forced to go through an unnecessary, costly process to redocument an existing disability in order to receive accommodations in higher education.

Senator Hassan leads several efforts to ensure that individuals who experience disabilities receive the support that they need to be fully included in their communities. Last year, she helped introduce legislation that would require the federal government to fully fund 40 percent of the cost of special education under the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), a commitment made by the federal government more than 50 years ago. Senator Hassan also helped pass into law bipartisan legislation to support autism education, research, and resources. Senator Hassan also helped secure funding to help families of children experiencing disabilities navigate the special education process and better access the resources available as part of a bipartisan government funding package.

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