You did it! Special Ed Victory.

House Bill 704 received unanimous support on Tuesday, June 22 from the State House of Representatives – 199 to 0.  Click here to see the vote totals.

This was not the final passage of the bill, but was something called “second consideration.”  However, Tuesday’s vote was the biggest hurdle.  And you did it!

The vote on final passage will be after 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday. Watch here.  The bill is expected to be overwhelmingly approved on final passage, although some representatives may vote against it.

Thank you for all of your wonderful efforts in support of special education funding and accountability reform.  Together, we all played a big role in making this happen.  Every phone call and e-mail was heard, and added up to a powerful voice on behalf of children with disabilities.

There are a few next steps before HB 704 is enacted into law.  We want the bill to be adopted by the full General Assembly along with the budget this year, which could take place by the middle of July.

We will let you know about those next steps over the next few days.

For now, please consider the following immediate actions:

(1)  Call or e-mail your state representatives and thank them for voting for HB 704.  They are currently in their Harrisburg offices.  Find their contact information here.

(2)  If you have not signed our online petition, this would be a good time to do so.

(3)  Consider adding your comments about HB 704 on my online discussion page.

Thank you for proving that collaborative action can make positive things happen.  Let’s keep up our efforts until HB 704 is signed into law.