[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 31 (Wednesday, February 26, 2003)]
[House]
[Page H1362]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page H1362]]
                           SUPPORT IMPACT AID

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Kirk) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. KIRK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my support for the 
Impact Aid program. Earlier today, along with 30 bipartisan cosponsors, 
we introduced my Government Reservation Accelerated Development for 
Education, or GRADE-A, bill from the 107th Congress.
  This bill was intended to fulfill an obligation of the Federal 
Government made in 1950 when Congress passed, and President Truman 
signed into law, the Impact Aid program.

                              {time}  1800

  Impact aid was created by Congress recognizing the obligation of the 
Federal Government to assist school districts and communities that 
experience a loss in their local property tax due to the presence of 
the Federal Government. Between 1950 and 1969, the impact aid program 
was fully funded by the Congress. But since that time, the funding 
level has not kept pace with the amount required to cover the Federal 
Government's obligation.
  As we prepare for war and deploy troops overseas, I can think of no 
better time to support our military personnel and their families. This 
support should begin with ensuring our soldiers that their children are 
receiving a quality education. There are 15 million school children in 
this Nation who are eligible for impact aid. Enrolled in one of 1,331 
eligible school districts, these schoolchildren depend on their schools 
to provide them with an education, and their parents depend on the 
schools to act as a community of support when they are deployed in our 
Nation's defense.
  In my congressional district, 36 percent of all students attending 
North Chicago's School District 187 are impact aid military children. 
School District 187 spends an average of $6,500 per pupil on education. 
And herein lies the problem. The North Chicago School District receives 
only $3,250 per pupil from the Federal Government for their military 
impact aid children. With over 1,400 impact aid students, District 187 
finds itself over $4.5 million short in funding levels. This shortfall 
creates a huge financial strain on the school district overall, 
decreasing the quality of education for every child in that school 
district.
  Mr. Speaker, the quickest way to take a soldier or sailor's mind off 
their mission is to have them worrying about their children's education 
back home. Kids from military families come from some of the hardest 
working, most patriotic families, but the schools they attend sometimes 
face bankruptcy because they lack the tax revenues from the military 
housing where the kids come from. We need to fund our Nation's schools. 
Impact aid honors our commitment to military families and families of 
Native American Indians. It guarantees those families who serve to 
protect our freedom that they are in turn protected by the Federal 
Government.
  Our Constitution commands that the first job of the Federal 
Government is to ``provide for the common defense.'' As we improve the 
pay and benefits of our men and women in uniform, we must also support 
their kids and the local schools they attend. This may take many years 
to accomplish, but the time is now, especially now, to support schools 
that educate the children whose parents wear our Nation's uniform. Let 
us recognize our duty to America's children and to our military and 
support the GRADE-A bill.

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