(f) Public Law 89-10 is amended to include a new title for the education of handicapped children; $150 million for this purpose was authorized for fiscal year 1967 and $250 million for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1968. A State's allotment for this program is based upon a population formula of the number of children in the age groups 3 to 21 to finance programs designed to meet the special educational and related needs of handicapped children throughout the State which are of sufficient size, scope, and quality as to give reasonable promise of substantial progress toward meeting those needs. It is a State plan program which includes provisions for the acquisition of equipment and, where necessary, the construction of school facilities. A National Advisory Committee on Handicapped Children is established to advise the Commissioner on programs for the handicapped administered by the Office of Education. In addition, a bureau for the education and training of the handicapped is established within the Office of Education to administer this and other programs of education, training, or research for the handicapped.

COMMITTEE COMMENT ON BILL PROVISIONS

In its consideration of the legislation, the committee relied greatly upon the testimony taken from witnesses in 6 days of hearings as set forth in the 2,575 pages of the 6 volumes of printed hearings.

The testimony developed the points discussed below, to which, it is the hope and expectation of the committee, the Commissioner of Education and the Office of Education will give heed and so modify existing practice and regulations, including, where necessary, changes in the administrative structure of the Office of Education, as to carry out the intent of the committee in the provision of the expanded authorities and authorizations for financing of S. 3046.

ADVISORY COMMITTEES

The committee was concerned about reports it had received that under the functioning of the Office of Education as recently reorganized there had been a change in the role played by advisory committees in the varied specialties and ancillary disciplines to education.

In the committee view the advisory committee mechanism can be most helpful to the Office of Education by providing two-way communication between the Office and the field or discipline. This objective is not met when committees are not used or are so constituted that representatives of the disciplines occupy minority positions and actions are taken upon the advice of advisory committees that are not truly representative of the areas and fields covered. It is the committee hope that the Commissioner of Education will take careful note of the problem with the view to reestablishing a healthy communications system wherever possible with the specialists and field practitioners.

EXPANSION OF TITLE I PROGRAM COVERAGE

By modifying the coverage under title I, the committee sought to achieve the following objectives:

1. To maintain, and where in the judgment of the local educational agency it is desirable and appropriate, to increase the level of financing the present title I schools;

2. To make it possible for more schools and more children to participate in programs and services, while retaining the concept that worst needs should be met first;

3. To make provision for the financing of programs in schools having concentrations of children who are educationally deprived by reason of physical handicaps;

4. To permit a greater flexibility in the origination and operation of projects involving services to children in more than one school.

The committee against wishes to emphasize that such educational programs are not exclusively for children whose educational handicaps derive from the economic level of their households. The programs should be available to all children in the participating schools who can benefit from the services rendered and the opportunities offered.

PART FEDUCATION OF HANDICAPPED CHILDREN

The committee amended the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 by adding a new title VI "Education of Handicapped Children."

The new title authorizes the Commissioner to make grants for the purpose of assisting States in the initiation, expansion, and improvement of programs and projects, including the acquisition of equipment and, where necessary construction, of school facilities, for the education of handicapped children at the preschool, elementary, and secondary school levels.

For this purpose the bill authorizes an appropriation of $150 million for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1967; $250 million for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1968; and for the 2 succeeding fiscal years such sums as many be hereafter authorized by law.

Sums appropriated for this program would be allotted among the States on the basis of the number of children aged 3 to 21, inclusive, in each State as related to the total number of such children in all States.

Each State must submit a State plan under which such programs will be operated. In general the State plans will parallel those for educationally deprived children under title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

This title also provides for the appointment by the Commissioner of a National Advisory Committee on Handicapped Children, consisting of not more than 12 members in addition to the Commissioner, who is designated as Chairman. Not less than half of the members of the Advisory Committee are required to be persons affiliated with educational, training, or research programs for the handicapped. It should be emphasized that the requirement is that not less than half shall be so identified and that the Commissioner in his discretion may appoint more members from this category of specialists.

It shall be the duty of the Advisory Committee to review all educational, training, research and related programs for handicapped children which are administered by the Commissioner and to make recommendations for the improvement of the administration and operation of such programs. In addition, the Advisory Committee is authorized to make such recommendations as it may deem appropriate and to make an annual report to the Commissioner for transmission to the Secretary and to the Congress.

The committee believes that the intended effect of much of the legislation which as been enacted in recent years for the benefit of handicapped children has been lost because of the lack of centralization of programs for the handicapped. Considerable testimony from respected professional groups was received by the committee suggesting that there should be a single focal point within the U.S. Office of Education which would provide leadership, guidance, and support for the programs for handicapped children. In an effort to provide for intensive coordination of services and programs for handicapped children, title VI requires the Commissioner of Education to establish a Bureau for the Education and Training of Handicapped Children. The committee expects the Commissioner to place in this new Bureau all programs or parts of programs dealing with education, training, and research which affect handicapped children. Such a Bureau will have an opportunity to interrelate research and development activities, professional preparation programs, and the improvement of educational services. It will provide a coordinated intense effort which the committee believes is necessary for the successful implementation of the provisions of this title and previously enacted laws for the benefit of handicapped children. It is hoped that the Commissioner of Education will sense the need for urgent action in the implementation and development of this bureau and will quickly consolidate programs and personnel to strengthen programs relating to the education of handicapped children.

In this connection the committee wholeheartedly supports the President in his efforts to focus the resources of our great Nation on the problems of handicapped children. The appointment by him of a Task Force on Handicapped Children in the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare is a forward step in moving toward fulfilling the special educational goals of this Great Society. The committee is looking forward to the report of this task force.

TABLE IX.-ESTIMATED DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS UNDER PROPOSED TITLE FOR HANDICAPPED CHILDREN, PUBLIC LAW 89-10, FISCAL YEARS 1967 AND 1968:

1 Excluding those in State-supported and/or State-operated schools.

2 Estimated distribution of $150,000,000 on the basis of 3-17 population Apr. 1, 1960, with 3 percent of $150,000,000 reserved for the outlying areas.

a Estimated distribution of $250,000,000 on the basis of 3-17 population Apr. 1, 1960, with 3 percent of $250,000,000 reserved for the outlying areas.

PART G-DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION

The committee expects the Office of Education to interpret this amendment liberally and to engage in a broad range of imaginative dissemination activites. The committee is especially concerned that this progrm reach those low-income rural areas which, because of lack of funds, have for years gotten by on subsistence-level educational budgets. Now, for the first time, they have the opportunity to improve notably the quality of their educational programs. But because of the years of neglect, many of them need assistance in

planning new programs. This amendment will allow the Office of Education to provide advice, counsel, technical assistance, and demonstrations to a State or local educational agency which requests it. The program is entirely voluntary; an agency can receive this type of assistance only if it asks for it. In order that educators may know where to go for assistance, the Office of Education is urged to make a special effort to inform school administrators in low-income rural and urban areas that such help is available.

Section 110. Amendments to section 205 with respect to areas having projects, construction for handicapped, size of projects, and coordina tion with other Federal programs

Subsection (a) amends clause (1) of section 205(a) to delete the requirement that, in order to be eligible for a program or project, a school attendance area must have a "high concentration of children from low-income families" and substitute a requirement that the area must have a "concentration" of educationally deprived children. This amendment would make any local educational agency eligible for a program or project if the project serves an attendance area having a concentration of educationally deprived children (including handicapped children) sufficient to merit their participation in a program or project under this title.

The present law requires that programs and projects be of adequate size, scope, and quality. Subsection (b) adds a requirement that each program or project must involve an expenditure of not less than $2,500. The State educational agency is authorized to reduce this requirement where it would be impossible, for reasons such as distance or difficulty of travel, for the applicant to join effectively with other local educational agencies for the purpose of meeting the requirement.

Subsection (c) amends section 205 (a) by substituting a new clause (7) for the present clause (7) which requires that applicants develop programs and projects in cooperation with community action programs approved under title II of the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964. The new clause (7) requires that, in projects involving construction, applicants, in developing plans for such facilities, give due consideration to compliance with such standards as may be prescribed or approved by the Secretary in order to insure that facilities constructed with Federal funds under this title be, to the extent appropriate in view of the uses to be made of such facilities, accessible to and usable by handicapped persons.

Subsection (d) requires that the Commissioner consult with other Federal departments and agencies which administer programs which may be effectively coordinated with programs under Public Law 89-10 (or any act amended by that act) and, to the extent practicable, that the commissioner coordinate such programs on the Federal level with the programs being administered by such other departments and agencies and require the adoption by State and local authorities of procedures to coordinate such programs under Public Law 89-10 (or acts amended thereby with other public and private programs having the same or similar purposes.

Section 116. Short title for title II of Public Law 874, 81st Congress This section provides that this title may be cited as the "Educamally Deprived Children's Act."