[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 54 (Wednesday, March 28, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E655]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   INTRODUCTION OF LENNOX LEGISLATION

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                            HON. JANE HARMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 27, 2007

  Ms. HARMAN. Madam Speaker, today, Senator Feinstein in the Senate and 
I are introducing legislation permitting a simple administrative fix 
that will improve education outcomes for thousands of students in my 
congressional district.
  Imagine, Madam Speaker, sitting at a desk, attempting to memorize a 
verse or tackle a tough math problem as jet planes roar overhead every 
few minutes. Every hour. Every day.
  That is the situation for the children of Lennox, a mostly working 
class community that lies just east of LAX, in the airport's flight 
path. Lennox was added to my district in 2000, and I have worked hard 
to help the children there get a quality education.
  In 1980, Lennox School District and the city of Los Angeles settled a 
lawsuit concerning aircraft movements over Lennox schools. Lennox gave 
the city an easement that allowed planes carrying up to 40 million 
passengers per year to fly overhead, and the city paid Lennox 
approximately $2.5 million.
  In the years since, air traffic over Lennox schools has significantly 
increased. As a result, many of the schools are now like bunkers, half 
underground with no windows. Others have all their windows boarded up.
  In February of 2005, Lennox and Los Angeles World Airports, LAWA, 
settled a second lawsuit, to which Inglewood School District was also a 
party. Under this settlement, LAWA agreed to provide Lennox and 
Inglewood with more than $110 million in noise mitigation funds over 10 
years.
  However, the FAA has interpreted the 1980 agreement and Federal law 
to prevent payment of the funds under the 2005 agreement. A legislative 
solution is the only way that these funds can be released.
  Our bill is narrowly tailored to allow LAWA to release the funds it 
promised to Lennox and Inglewood in the 2005 agreement. The bill is 
identical to legislation that I introduced in the last Congress, H.R. 
6285, which was drafted with the assistance of the FAA, Lennox School 
District, and LAWA. Importantly, the funds in question are airport 
funds, not Federal tax dollars, and our bill would not require new 
Federal spending.
  These children deserve a quality education, and this bill will ensure 
that they get one. I urge its swift passage.




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