CERTIFICATION OF ENROLLMENT

 

              ENGROSSED HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL 4025

 

 

 

 

                        57th Legislature

                      2002 Regular Session

 

Passed by the House February 13, 2002

  Yeas 96   Nays 0

 

 

 

Speaker of the House of Representatives

     

 

 

 

 

 

Passed by the Senate March 2, 2002

  Yeas 49   Nays 0

             CERTIFICATE

 

I, Cynthia Zehnder, Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives of the State of Washington, do hereby certify that the attached is ENGROSSED HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL 4025  as passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate on the dates hereon set forth.

 

 

 

                          Chief Clerk

 

 

 

 

 

President of the Senate

 

 

 

Approved Place Style On Codes above, and Style Off Codes below.                

                                FILED

                

 

Governor of the State of Washington

                   Secretary of State

                  State of Washington


          _______________________________________________

 

                ENGROSSED HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL 4025

          _______________________________________________

 

             Passed Legislature - 2002 Regular Session

 

State of Washington      57th Legislature     2002 Regular Session

 

By Representatives Schindler, Ahern, Cox, Boldt, Mielke, Sump, Pearson, Nixon, Mulliken, Campbell, Benson, Morell, Talcott, Sehlin, Crouse, Buck, Holmquist, Esser, Schmidt, Ericksen, Haigh, Bush, Alexander, Anderson, Hankins, Lisk, Dunshee, Fisher, Mitchell, Woods, Armstrong, Grant, Santos, Hatfield, Wood, O'Brien, McDermott, Upthegrove, Jackley, Lysen, Kagi, Gombosky, Tokuda, Veloria, Kenney, Conway, Cody, Dickerson, Lantz, Fromhold, Berkey, Edwards, Chase, Lovick, Schual‑Berke, Murray, Barlean, Jarrett, Cooper, Rockefeller, Simpson, Sullivan, Skinner, Eickmeyer, Ogden, Morris, Linville, Dunn and Darneille

 

Read first time 01/25/2002.  Referred to Committee on Children & Family Services.

Requesting that Congress modify IDEA to allow parent choice for assessment and treatment. 


    TO THE HONORABLE GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AND TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES, IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED, AND TO THE SECRETARY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION:

    We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Washington, in legislative session assembled, respectfully represent and petition as follows:

    WHEREAS, Infants and toddlers from birth to the age of three with developmental delays and special needs are our most vulnerable population; and

    WHEREAS, Research shows that early intervention to assess their needs and initiate intensive, effective therapy can change and improve such a child's ability to function throughout his or her life; and

    WHEREAS, Washington State through research and demonstration at the University of Washington and the state's seventeen Neurodevelopmental Centers has been the leader in assessment and remediation for developmentally delayed infants and toddlers for more than forty years; and

    WHEREAS, Therapy before the age of three at one of Washington State's excellent Neurodevelopmental Centers results in a significant percentage of children who need no further intervention or special services provided at federal, state, local, and private expense; and

    WHEREAS, Basing early intervention services on an itinerant model will reduce the amount of specialized services for each child and family; and

    WHEREAS, Serving all developmentally delayed children outside of centers will more than double the cost to federal, state, local, and private sources; and

    WHEREAS, Inclusion for developmentally delayed children in their families, schools, and communities is now and has always been the goal of assessment and treatment for Washington State's seventeen Neurodevelopmental Centers; and

    WHEREAS, Support and education of parents, families, and caregivers has been a major component of treatment for children with developmental delays at Washington State's seventeen Neurodevelopmental Centers; and

    WHEREAS, Parent choice for the assessment and treatment of their children is an inalienable right; and

    WHEREAS, Wording for the original Education for All Act of 1975, now known as Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), is taken directly from legislation enacted in Washington State in 1971 (HB 90); and

    WHEREAS, Wording in the amended IDEA takes away parent choice of assessment and treatment for their developmentally delayed children in Neurodevelopmental Centers such as the seventeen model Neurodevelopmental Centers in Washington State which have successfully served thousands of children for more than forty years with a constantly improving program;

    NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectfully pray that Congress, through its process to reauthorize IDEA, modify the wording regarding "natural environments" to allow for parent choice for assessment and treatment of their developmentally delayed infants and toddlers at a Neurodevelopmental Center such as the seventeen outstanding Neurodevelopmental Centers serving children and families in Washington State.

    BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted to the Honorable George W. Bush, President of the United States, the Secretary of the Department of Education, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and each member of Congress from the State of Washington.

 


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