Wednesday, May 13: H.R. 2187—21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act

H.R. 2187 would authorize the U.S. Secretary of Education to make grants to state educational agencies for the modernization, renovation, or repair of public school facilities.

Some conservatives, including Education and Labor Committee Ranking Member and RSC Member Buck McKeon (R-CA), have expressed various concerns about the legislation.  On May 6, 2009, he released the following statement:

“It costs too much.  It borrows too much.  It controls too much.  And it’s an area that, as federal legislators, we should not be intruding upon…If passed, this bill could divert funding from the Title I program for disadvantaged students.  It also could take money away from the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA.”

The Committee press release states the following concerns with the bill and can be found here:

• Nationalizes and regulates school construction;

• Threatens state, local, and private support for educational infrastructure;

• Jeopardizes Congress’ ability to reduce federal spending, pushing the country further into debt;

• Increases project costs through imposition of Depression-era Davis-Bacon wage mandates;

• Siphons resources from longstanding education priorities and fails to improve academic achievement.

PASSED 275-155