Student Aid And Fiscal Responsibility Act Of 2009

Floor Speech

Student Aid And Fiscal Responsibility Act Of 2009

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Ms. PINGREE of Maine. Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

In addition to making landmark investments in higher education and student financial aid, H.R. 3221 provides over $4 billion in funding for K-12 public schools. This funding is critical to ensure that students grow up and learn in healthy, safe environments that maximize their chances to receive a quality education and graduate from high school. This is particularly challenging for areas that are facing extraordinary economic hardship. Public schools in these areas need additional attention and support to make sure these students have every opportunity to succeed.

H.R. 3221 currently sets aside $200 million in reserve funding for K-12 schools that are located in areas suffering from a natural disaster or severe economic distress. However, it does not recognize areas affected by the closure of a military base due to Base Realignment and Closure, the BRAC process, as eligible for this emergency educational funding. A base closure, such as the closure of the Brunswick Naval Air Station in my district, is a devastating event in a community. Schools in these communities need special attention, because unlike areas hit by economic recession, the closure of a base means the overnight disruption of the local economy. With a dramatic loss of taxpayers and Federal Impact Aid funding, which disappears 1 year after the students leave, BRAC communities are left without a dependable source of funding for critical school repairs.

In Brunswick, Maine, in my district, the closure of the once vibrant Brunswick Naval Air Station will result in an estimated 7,000 total jobs lost, a reduction in 10 percent of the public school population, and millions of dollars in lost economic activity, including $1 million in school funding that will be lost.

And my district is not alone. The closure of the Naval Air Station in Corpus Christi, Texas, will result in over 7,000 military and civilian jobs lost from that area. In fact, the 2005 BRAC resulted in the closure of major Army, Navy and Air Force bases in States across the country, including Maine, Georgia, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Texas. Mr. Chair, schools in communities affected by these closures would all be eligible to benefit from much-needed funding under this amendment. We need to help communities like Brunswick recover from the loss of a military base, and we need to give them the resources they need to maintain a high-quality school system.

These investments in education are critical to putting these communities on a path to economic growth and redevelopment. The need for emergency educational funding in areas affected by the base closures is clear. My amendment helps public schools in BRAC communities recover from the devastating impact of losing hundreds of students and millions of dollars in taxpayer support.

I urge you to support the schools, teachers and students in BRAC communities by voting ``yes'' on this amendment.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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