[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 25 (Thursday, February 25, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E258-E259]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   INTRODUCTION OF IMPROVING COMPACT-IMPACT ASSISTANCE FOR EDUCATION

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                       HON. MADELEINE Z. BORDALLO

                                of guam

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 25, 2010

  Ms. BORDALLO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce H.R. 4695, a 
bill to expand the Federal Impact Aid program to reimburse schools for 
the costs of educating students

[[Page E259]]

from the Freely Associated States, FAS, residing in the United States, 
including the territories. Impact Aid was originally authorized by the 
Elementary and Secondary Education Act in 1965 to compensate local 
school districts for the costs of educating federally connected 
children. Examples of these kinds of students include those whose 
parents live on military bases, live on Indian lands, or are the 
children of accredited foreign diplomats. However, the Impact Aid 
program does not compensate local schools for the costs incurred by 
educating students from the FAS.
  The United States entered into the Compacts of Free Association with 
the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of 
Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau and under the Compacts, citizens 
of these countries can enter the United States without a visa. Thus, 
children whose parents are citizens of the FAS are in schools in the 
States and territories under a special immigration category and are 
federally connected just as children of military families are similarly 
federally connected. This legislation would provide a means for the 
Federal Government to provide assistance to impacted local education 
authorities.
  Madam Speaker, the economic downturn has forced many local school 
districts to cut education budgets. This is a longstanding issue for 
affected jurisdictions and they need this to be redressed now more than 
ever. I would like to thank Mr. Abercrombie, Mr. Faleomavaega, Mrs. 
Christensen, Mr. Honda, Mr. Sablan, and Mr. Pierluisi for joining with 
me as original cosponsors. I will work with these cosponsors to pass 
this bill during the 111th Congress.

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