For Immediate Release                                                           Contact: Erica Daughtrey

November 16, 2010                                                                 201-222-2828

Washington, D.C.-- Today, Congressman Sires joined his colleagues in the House of Representatives in passing H.Res. 1641, Celebrating the 60^th Anniversary of Impact Aid unanimously.  September 30, 2010 marked the 60^th year of the program.

“As a Member of the House Impact Aid Coalition, I am proud that my colleagues and I are recognizing the importance of Impact Aid to our communities,” said Congressman Sires. “Particularly when education budgets are being slashed across the nation, many schools depend upon this source of federal funding.”

Impact Aid compensates school districts for lost revenue that occurs when federal ownership or activity adversely interferes with basic revenue sources school districts typically use.  These typical revenue sources include income taxes, local licenses, property taxes from businesses, residential taxes, and sales taxes.  The largest Impact Aid program provides basic support for schools that enroll “federally connected” children, who are children that reside with a parent who is a member of the Armed Forces, foreign military officer, reside on Indian lands, or reside in low-rent public housing.  Impact Aid support payments act as a payment to school districts and can be used to hire teachers, purchase textbooks, pay for utilities, and for other needs.

“Many students in New Jersey’s 13^th Congressional district are deemed to be ‘federally connected,’” said Sires.  “Impact Aid serves an important role by giving funds directly to the school district so that they can be used in the best way possible to benefit our students.”

Congressman Sires is also an original co-sponsor to H.R. 2280, the Fair Funding for Schools Act of 2009, which will reauthorize the Impact Aid program.  This legislation is currently pending before the House Education and Labor Committee, Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Subcommittee.  The Impact Aid program expired on September 30, 2007 and was extended for one year intervals through September 30, 2010.

###