[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 54 (Thursday, April 3, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4827-S4828]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. INHOFE (for himself and Mr. Baucus):
  S. 777. A bill to amend the impact aid program under the Elementary 
and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to improve the delivery of payments 
under the program to local educational agencies; to the Committee on 
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce a bill to make 
the Impact Aid Program a Federal entitlement.
  Impact Aid is one of the oldest Federal education programs, dating 
from the 1950's, and is meant to compensate a local school district for 
financial losses resulting from Federal properties or lands in that 
district. Congress met its obligation of fully funding Impact Aid until 
the 1970's. When the funding was cut in 1971, many districts that 
greatly depend on Impact Aid began to suffer. In the past few years, 
the Impact Aid payment formula has become increasingly complex, causing 
great funding disparities for the same types of students in different 
districts.
  I have consistently supported increased appropriations for Impact Aid 
because it not only provides an essential revenue source for impacted 
districts, but it is also a Federal obligation. Often, close to 90 
percent of a local school's funding is comprised of the local tax base. 
When the presence of the Federal Government in a community takes away 
from this tax base, we must compensate for this loss. When we do not 
fulfill our obligation by adequately funding Impact Aid, our children 
suffer the consequence such as lower test scores, lower attendance 
rates, crowded classrooms, and fewer and older facilities.
  Although funding for Impact Aid has increased over the past few 
years, it still remains under-funded. Today, I am taking the first step 
to correct this inequity. My bill will require Congress to meet its 
duty to these children and schools that have been under-funded for so 
long. I urge my colleagues to join me in fulfilling our obligation by 
permanently fully funding the Impact Aid program.
  Mr. BAUCUS. Mr. President, I rise today to join my friend and 
colleague Senator Inhofe in introducing a bill that will make a real 
difference in schools on or near military bases, Indian reservations, 
and other Federal lands. Our bill will make the Impact Aid Program a 
Federal entitlement.
  We require public schools to accept all children from military 
families and tribal reservations. It is the right thing to do. But 
families in Federal housing or on reservations do not pay local 
property taxes, a traditional revenue source for school districts. 
While Impact Aid was designed to make up the difference, we have not 
met our obligation to public schools. Instead, we have let the Impact 
Aid Program fall prey to the annual appropriations process. This means 
that payments to Impact Aid schools are never guaranteed, are usually 
underfunded, and rarely arrive on time. In fact, Impact Aid has not 
been fully funded since the early 1980s. The result of this 
underfunding can been seen in Impact Aid schools in States across the 
country. Schools are cutting programs and staff, not buying new books 
and materials, and deferring maintenance on buildings to help cover 
classroom costs. As a result, schools like Hays Lodge Pole School in 
Montana cannot teach their students and maintain their school facility; 
in the last couple of years, the Hays Lodge Pole School has been 
susceptible to electrical fires and other structural hazards.

[[Page S4828]]

  I am so proud of the students, teachers, and administrators that 
learn and work in our Impact Aid districts. They have gone above and 
beyond to make due with scant resources. In many cases, however, we 
have stretched school districts to the breaking point. We have an 
obligation to our schools and the students. We can and must do better 
than we have in the past.
  The bill that Senator Inhofe and I are introducing today will make a 
difference. It requires the Federal Government to meet its obligation 
to these schools. As a result, districts will know when and how much 
they will receive. The guesswork will vanish, and school leaders will 
be able to focus on student achievement instead of budget games.
  I recognize that creating a Federal entitlement program is not an 
easy task. But Impact Aid is not like other discretionary programs. It 
was set up to compensate school districts for the ``substantial and 
continuing financial burden resulting from Federal activities.'' It is 
not a program that supplements local programming. It is the only game 
in town, and when we do not meet our Federal obligation, there is no 
other program to pick up the slack. Other Federal education programs, 
such as title I, supplement insufficient local resources.
  Importantly, Impact Aid is a Federal program that addresses Federal 
needs. Our bill recognizes that providing Impact Aid resources on time 
and in full helps federally impacted students learn and achieve. It 
also recognizes that Impact Aid funds are better spent in our schools 
than on plane tickets and expenses for Impact Aid officials to come to 
Washington to fight for dollars that they inherently deserve.
  Finally, I want to say a little about my personal perspective on 
education. I honestly believe there is nothing more important than 
giving our children the best opportunities to succeed in life. That is 
a principle I hold very deeply. Nothing we can do for our children will 
make a bigger difference in their lives than giving them a solid 
education. Education provides greater advantages in the workplace, and 
greater personal enrichment; both of which lead to future personal and 
professional success. I have always believed that a quality public 
education system is not only the right of every child, but also the key 
to smart economic development. The investments we make in our education 
system today will provide our children with the skills and knowledge to 
be successful in the 21st century economy.
  Our bill recognizes the importance of education and makes sure that 
our federally impacted school districts receive the money they deserve. 
More importantly, our bill makes sure that students in federally 
impacted schools will have an education that will prepare them for 
personal and professional success.
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