| For immediate release May 14, 2009 |
Contact: Erin Donar
202-225-3611
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| Kildee Applauds Passage of Green Schools Legislation | ||||
| Bill Will Modernize America’s Schools, Support 136,000 Jobs | ||||
| Washington, D.C. – Congressman Dale E. Kildee (D-MI), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Secondary and Elementary Education, voted today to pass the 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act, (H.R. 2187), through the House of Representatives. This legislation, which Congressman Kildee introduced along with Representatives Ben Chandler (D-KY), Committee on Education and Labor Chairman George Miller (D-CA) and David Loebsack (D-IA), will upgrade the nation’s school facilities, while creating thousands of jobs in the construction and clean energy industries. Schools in Michigan’s 5th Congressional district will be eligible for at least $21,459,000 in funding. The measure passed the House by a vote of 275 to 155. “Many of our nation’s schools are in disrepair, creating an unsafe and unhealthy classroom environment that makes it more difficult to teach and to learn. This legislation will modernize our educational facilities, providing a healthier learning and working climate for our students and teachers. Not only will this benefit our local schools, but it will create good jobs in our communities while helping to clean up the environment,” said Congressman Kildee. Due in part to the Bush Administration’s failure to provide any direct funding for general school construction over the last eight years, schools in America have been suffering from extreme funding shortfalls. As a result, many schools are in poor condition, particularly those in areas with higher percentages of minority or low-income students. In 2009, the American Society of Civil Engineers gave U.S. schools a “D” on its national infrastructure report card. H.R. 2187 will make important progress towards fixing this problem by authorizing $6.4 billion for school renovation and modernization projects for fiscal year 2010. To further encourage energy efficiency and the use of renewable resources in schools, the legislation requires that the majority of funds be used for school improvement projects that meet widely recognized green building standards. On average, green schools save $96,760 a year. In addition, the legislation will support thousands of jobs and ensure fair wages and benefits for construction workers by applying Davis-Bacon protections to all grants awarded for school improvement projects. For more information, click here. |
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