IDEA Reauthorization Gets Boost As House, Senate Plan Discussions

The chances that Congress will wrap up an overdue bill to renew the main federal special education law improved vastly last week, when the Senate announc ed that it was ready to enter final negotiations with the House of Representatives.

The reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act had been stalled for months because of partisan tensions on Capitol Hill.

“There was just mutual agreement that a lot of good work had gone into this, and that it would be a shame to go back to the drawing board next Congress,” said Gayle Osterberg, a spokeswoman for Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., the chairman of the Senate Health, Education,...