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House defeats bill to earmark funds for English-language learners after heated debate
Summary
House debate focused on a proposal to move $3.5 million from a block grant into a targeted line item for alternative language (ELL) services to satisfy federal maintenance-of-effort rules; amendment to delete earmark passed and the bill subsequently failed in final vote.
Representative Duane Bordeaux, sponsor of House Bill 111 on alternative language/English-language-learner (ELL) programs, told the House the bill would move $3,500,000 out of an intervention block grant and onto a line item to show federal maintenance of effort and prevent the state from losing an estimated $10,000,000 in Title I funds. He said the change would let the state better train staff and bring outside expertise to districts that lack ELL capacity.
Opponents on the floor, including members of the Appropriations Committee, argued the block grant structure gives needed local flexibility and warned that earmarking would reduce funds available for other needs inside the Intervention for Success block grant. Representative Snow moved to delete the earmarking language and retain the funding in the block; that motion passed on a recorded division (43 yes, 22 no).
After the amendment, several members said the amended bill would impose state responsibilities on the state office of education without providing the requested funding. Representative Holdaway and others warned that, without the earmark, the state risked losing federal Title I allocations unless maintenance of effort could be demonstrated. Representative Buffmeier cautioned that losing federal matching money could “completely devastate” programs that rely on it.
The House voted on House Bill 111 as amended; the bill failed in a recorded vote (reported as 0 yes, 70 no) and will be filed. The sponsor said he would not vote for the bill in its amended form.
What happens next: The bill, as amended and then defeated, will be filed; members on both sides urged further study of ELL needs and of how state oversight and funding should be structured.
