HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.C.R. NO.

226

TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2004

H.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

URGING THE PRESIDENT AND CONGRESS TO FULLY FUND THE IMPACT AID PRogram.

 

 

WHEREAS, Impact Aid, passed into law by Congress in 1950, was designed to provide for the education of military children; and

WHEREAS, Impact Aid is a federal program that provides funding for a portion of the educational costs of federally-connected students and is an in-lieu-of-tax program - in other words, it is the federal government paying its "tax bill" to local school districts as a result of the presence of a military installation; and

WHEREAS, Impact Aid is the only federal education program where funding is sent directly to the school district, as funds go directly into the school district's general fund for operations such as purchasing textbooks or computers, and paying for utilities and staff salaries; and

WHEREAS, until 1970, the program was fully funded, but today, the program is funded at 60 percent of what is mandated by federal law; and

WHEREAS, economic studies, which have been authorized by Congress, have always verified that the full rate for the military child living on base and the half rate for the military child living off base are fully justified, but contrary to those studies, current funding for the "off-base" military child is only two-tenths of the "on-base" military child rate; and

WHEREAS, the Hawaii Department of Education, as well as other school districts throughout the nation, are faced with significant funding constraints in light of federal and court mandates; and

WHEREAS, military installations and personnel are present in Hawaii because of our state’s unique geographical position and the strategic importance of our state as a means of force protection in the Asia-Pacific theater; and

WHEREAS, in 2000 there were a total of 83,329 military personnel and dependents in Hawaii, including 28,276 children of military members enrolled in public schools in Hawaii during the 2002-2003 school year; and

WHEREAS, the cost of educating military dependents in the 2002-2003 school year was $236 million, yet Impact Aid payments were only $48.8 million, leaving a significant difference of $188 million; and

WHEREAS, last year the Impact Aid program faced the possibility of a $172 million cut, as proposed in the president’s fiscal year 2004 budget; and

WHEREAS, this year, the Bush Administration budget proposes to freeze the program, which will in fact be a funding decrease of approximately five percent; and

WHEREAS, the Hawaii Department of Education joined the National Association of Federally Impacted Schools (NAFIS) and the Military Impacted Schools Association (MISA) in 1999; and

WHEREAS, through the partnership with NAFIS and MISA, the Hawaii Department of Education has become a significant participant on the national scene in seeking to increase Impact Aid funds; and

WHEREAS, NAFIS and MISA estimate that the Impact Aid program will require at least a 4.78 percent increase to ensure both basic support and the Federal Property program remain at least at where they are at present, with any smaller increase or a decrease in funding resulting in three consecutive years of declining dollars when compared to increased costs to operate school districts; and

WHEREAS, NAFIS and MISA are asking for a 14 percent increase from last year’s appropriation in the funding request for fiscal year 2005, which is based on a 10-year full-funding time line for basic support and the Federal Property program patterned after a letter GOP House Coalition members sent to both President Bush and Office of Management and Budget Director Bolton in December 2003; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-Second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2004, the Senate concurring, that the Legislature urges the President to fully fund the Impact Aid program; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Congress is urged to support the President’s efforts to fully fund the Impact Aid program or support increases if the President fails to support this increase; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature commends NAFIS and MISA for their tireless work on behalf of school districts across the nation that depend on their fair share of federal Impact Aid funds; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States, the members of Hawaii's congressional delegation, the Executive Director of the National Association of Federally Impacted Schools, the Executive Director of the Military Impacted Schools Association, and the Superintendent of Education.

Report Title:

Impact Aid; full funding