[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 1 (Tuesday, January 6, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E19]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            PROTECTING IMPACT AID FOR NORTH SUBURBAN SCHOOLS

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                         HON. MARK STEVEN KIRK

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, January 6, 2009

  Mr. KIRK. Madam Speaker, today I am introducing a bill to ensure the 
federal government fulfills an important obligation to the families of 
service men and women in my district. In 1950, President Harry Truman 
established the Impact Aid program to assist school districts and 
communities that lose their property tax base because of the presence 
of the federal government. Without this federal money, the burden would 
fall to the remaining residents whose property taxes would continue to 
rise while impacting the quality of education which can be provided. 
The Impact Aid program helps to alleviate this problem by directly 
reimbursing public school districts for the loss of traditional revenue 
sources.
  For years Impact Aid was fully funded and offered some of the 
strongest direct assistance to military families across the Nation. 
Unfortunately, over the last decade we have fallen behind on this 
commitment, and it is time to reverse this trend.
  While I support fully funding the Impact Aid program, I believe the 
situation in my district warrants special attention. In order to ensure 
that our students most in need continue to receive necessary resources, 
I have introduced this bill to help North Chicago to continue to 
qualify for heavily impacted payments, and Glenview and Highland Park 
receive fair compensation.
  Due to a unique housing situation for the Great Lakes Naval Training 
Facility, Impact Aid funding should be higher in five of my school 
districts. This Naval base is located in North Chicago, one of the 
poorest school districts in my state. However, some service members and 
their families live in Navy housing obtained when Ft. Sheridan and 
Naval Air Station Glenview, located in other suburbs, were closed in 
the 1990's. These former bases are located within the boundaries of 
other school districts that now must bear the economic cost of 
educating children from a base, but receive none of the economic 
benefits a base provides. Thus, it is vitally important that we both 
ensure North Chicago continues to receive heavily impacted payments for 
the benefit of students living there, and that the surrounding 
communities are more fairly compensated for their loss of property 
taxes.
  By passing this bill, the federal government will be fulfilling its 
responsibility to these communities, and giving our military families 
the support they deserve.

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