Chandler's Green School Construction Bill Passes House of Representatives

Stands to provide $93.6 million statewide and $12.2 million in the Sixth District

WASHINGTON, (May 14, 2009)—Congressman Ben Chandler’s bill—the 21^st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act (H.R. 2187)—passed the United States House of Representatives today with bipartisan support, the first step in authorizing a vital $6.4 billion to our nation’s schools for construction, modernization, renovation, and repair.

            “This is a huge win for our children, the environment, and the economy,” Chandler said. “Not only are we creating jobs that can’t be shipped overseas and saving energy, but we are investing in America’s most important economic resource, our children.”

A number of government and private studies cite a strong link between modern, functional school facilities and student achievement. The $6.4 billion can be used for school projects to improve the teaching and learning environment, health and safety, and energy efficiency. Eligible projects could include anything from fixing crumbling walls and roofs, to lead and asbestos removal and the installation of educational technology.

This legislation was first introduced by Congressman Chandler in 2007 and passed the House of Representatives in June 2008. Because the Senate did not act on the bill before the end of the 110^th Congress, the bill expired and was reintroduced in the 111^th Congress last week. It passed the Education and Labor Committee on May 6, 2009, and passed a full House vote today (275-155) with bipartisan support.

The green school construction bill will allocate funds to school districts according to the formula established in Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Under this bill, 100% of school districts in the Sixth Congressional District would receive funding.  Before this bill becomes law and schools can receive funding, the Senate must first approve this legislation and President Obama must sign it into law. (Please see below for a list of estimated school district funding totals.)

“I truly believe that investing in our children is our long-term economic solution—the more effort and energy we put toward their education, the better off our country will be,” Chandler stated. “Simply put, our country will rise and fall based on how we educate our people, and today we took a large step in the right direction for the Commonwealth and the United States as a whole.”

If this bill is signed into law and is fully funded at the authorized level by Congress, the following are the totals** for each county in the Sixth Congressional District in percentage and dollar amount of the total $6.4 billion:

• Anderson (.0029) --  $178,000
• Bourbon (.0073) -- $380,000
  1. Bourbon County (.0045) --  $234,000
  2. Paris Independent (.0028) - $146,000
• Boyle (.0073) -- $428,000
  1. Boyle County (.0031) -- $183,000
  2. Danville Independent (.0042) -- $245,000
• Clark (.0092) -- $557,000
• Estill (.0091) -- $515,000
• Fayette (.0678) -- $4,576,000
• Franklin (.0090) -- $572,000
  1. Franklin County (.0071) -- $461,000
  2. Frankfort Independent (.0019) -- $111,000
• Garrard (.0049) -- $344,000
• Jessamine (.0112) -- $737,000
• Lincoln (.0098) -- $647,000
• Madison (.0210) -- $1,385,000
  1. Madison County (.0190) -- $1,252,000
  2. Berea Independent (.0020) -- $133,000
• Mercer (.0033) -- $337,000
  1. Mercer County (.0030) -- $318,000
  2. Burgin Independent (.0003) -- $19,000
• Montgomery (.0080) -- $454,000
• Powell (.0075) -- $521,000
• Scott (.0063) -- $404,000
• Woodford (.0032) -- $214,000

**These totals may be reduced by the amount the state of Kentucky has the option to reserve under §102(b)(2) of HR 2187 for administration costs.