Capps Celebrates Passage of Legislation to Create Jobs, Modernize California's Schools, and Save Precious Education Dollars

Press Release

Capps Celebrates Passage of Legislation to Create Jobs, Modernize California's Schools, and Save Precious Education Dollars

Bill Would Make Schools Safer, Healthier and More Environmentally Friendly While Providing a Much Needed Boost to Local Construction Industry

Congresswoman Lois Capps praised the passage of legislation that would help renovate and modernize public schools in California and around the country. By a vote of 275 to 155, the House passed the 21st Century Green High Performing Public School Facilities Act (H.R. 2187), which provides funding to states and school districts to help ensure that school facilities and learning environments are safe, healthy, energy-efficient, environmentally friendly, and technologically advanced. It would also support hundreds of thousands of new construction jobs and invest more than half a billion dollars for school facility improvements in the Gulf Coast, where many schools still face considerable damage caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The legislation includes an estimated $715 million in funding for repairs and improvement projects for California schools.

"All of our children deserve to learn in a school environment that is safe and healthy and this legislation will help ensure that happens," said Capps. "The bill will make smart investments in our schools and make them safer, healthier places for our children to learn. It will also provide good paying jobs to our local economy and save precious education dollars by making schools more energy efficient now and in the future. The recession and the ensuing budgetary crisis has forced education funding to historic lows so we can't expect existing school budgets to pay for this necessary work. It's important that the federal government help our schools with this important task."

Working with President Obama, Congress made a significant investment in school improvement by enacting the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which allows school districts to use funds they receive under the state fiscal stabilization fund for school modernization, renovation and repair projects.

H.R. 2187 would continue this effort to make smart investments in our schools and local economy by authorizing $6.4 billion for school renovation and modernization projects for fiscal year 2010. It would also ensure that school districts quickly receive funds for projects that improve schools' teaching and learning climates, health and safety, and energy efficiency.

To further encourage energy efficiency and the use of renewable resources in schools, the legislation would require a percentage of funds be used for school improvement projects that meet widely recognized green building standards. It would require that 100 percent of the funds go toward green projects by 2015 - the final year of funding under the bill.

These investments would help schools save money in the short-term and long-term through the use of green building techniques. In the short-term, green schools enjoy an average savings of $96,760 per year and the long-term savings from green buildings are on average $70 per square foot. Additionally, a "green" school typically utilizes 33 percent less energy and 32 percent less water. The savings realized through repairs and efficiency improvements would help free up precious education funds for classroom instruction and supplies.

The legislation would also create hundreds of thousands of new jobs and help improve local economies. According to calculations by the Economic Policy Institute, the legislation would support 136,000 jobs. Recent studies also show that school quality has a direct, positive impact on residential property values and can improve a community's ability to attract businesses and workers.

Congress passed H.R. 3021, similar legislation, last summer.

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