Forty-in-Four Act

The Forty-in-Four Act (H.R. 2616) was designed to significantly increase federal financial support for special education services provided by states and local school districts. The bill proposed a structured four-year plan to raise the federal government’s share of funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) from 20 percent to 40 percent of the average per-pupil expenditure.

For citizens, this legislation aimed to fulfill a long-standing federal commitment to help cover the costs of educating students with disabilities, potentially easing the financial burden on local taxpayers and school budgets. By increasing federal contributions, the bill intended to provide schools with more consistent resources to support specialized instruction and services for eligible students. Although introduced in 2001, the bill did not advance past the committee stage and did not become law.