$8.4 Billion in New Education Spending. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) offered this amendment to increase spending on the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) from the $7.4 billion in the pending bill ($6.0 billion in fiscal 2000) to $15.8 billion. More than doubling the cost of this huge program prompted even big spenders like Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) to remark that "I want to see a lot more funding in a lot more places,… but this is just over the top."
The Senate rejected a motion to waive the Budget Act on the Harkin amendment to H.R 4577 on June 30, 2000 by a vote of 40-55 (Roll Call 170). Failing to receive the three-fifths vote needed to waive the Budget Act, the Harkin amendment died. We have assigned pluses to the nays.
