This handbook is designed to serve as a report on negotiations that took place during the 104th and 105th Congresses that lead to the passage of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) amendments of 1997. In addition, the events and changes in the cultural climate during the 106th Congress and its impact on IDEA is also discussed, along with the likely impact of the 107th Congress and the George W. Bush administration. Specific chapters of the handbook address: (1) the nature of American politics; (2) judicial and legislative beginnings; (3) special education before the 88th Congress; (4) opposition from President Nixon; (5) the guarantee of FAPE (free appropriate public education); (6) the establishment of the U.S. Department of Education; (7) the politics of educational inclusion; (8) the impact of family experiences on public policy and the influence of congressional staff; (9) the results/accountability initiative; (10) the HOPPE group and final mark-up; (11) Republican congressional opposition to proposed regulations; and (12) the increase in students with disabilities. The book concludes that many of the same issues that were present when IDEA was passed in 1975 still exist. (Contains 48 references.) (CR)