[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 120 (Thursday, September 5, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1520]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         IMPACT AID AMENDMENTS

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                        HON. WILLIAM F. GOODLING

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 5, 1996

  Mr. GOODLING. Mr. Speaker, on May 7, 1996, the House passed H.R. 
3269, amending the Impact Aid Program to make technical changes and 
address several issues which have arisen since the program was last 
modified during the 103d Congress.
  The Senate has now amended this legislation and returned it to us for 
further consideration. Several of the Senate amendments take the 
approach of the House-passed legislation--they either correct problems 
with current law or address issues which have arisen since its 
enactment in the 103d Congress. For example, the bill contains a 
provision which allows heavily impacted districts to use prior year, 
rather than current year data when they apply for impact aid benefits. 
This provision will prevent the long delays--19 to 22 months after 
funds have been appropriated--such districts currently experience in 
receiving impact aid dollars.
  However, there are other amendments which provide special fixes for 
individual school districts.
  I would like to reiterate the statement I made when H.R. 3269 first 
passed the House in May. All the special changes we made to impact aid 
over the years of its existence, in the long run, were harmful to the 
program. They gave it a bad reputation as a pork program and affected 
its appropriations. While I will not object to enactment of this 
legislation because it contains provisions which will benefit a large 
number of school districts affected by a Federal presence, I do want to 
go on record indicating that I will be very reluctant to accept such 
changes in the future.

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