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Mr. MULLIN. Mr. Chair, first of all, I would like to thank Chairman Kline for his work on this bill and for working with my office on several provisions that affected the Impact Aid Program. I believe this bill goes a long way to improving the Impact Aid Program. I would like to thank the chairman for including the provisions related to the destruction of records in a manager's amendment and working with my office on a provision related to heavily impacted school districts.
My amendment would strike the language in the bill that would make payment to a school district if two districts consolidated and one or both were eligible for payments as an individual local education agency but not when consolidated. Basically, this provision would make the ineligible consolidated schools and the districts be eligible to receive funding. This requires already limited funds to stretch even farther.
Additionally, this amendment would remove the text allowing school districts to adjust their student accounts midyear. By allowing midyear adjustments, it puts a strain on those administrating the funds which could lead to delay in the payments to our school districts. Currently, schools are allowed to adjust their student accounts only annually.
Finally, this amendment would take the current construction program and make it solely a competitive grant program. Currently, the program fluctuates between an apportion fund to school districts and a competitive grant program. While making the program completely a competitive grant program, we would be allowing school districts to be awarded based on needs versus just giving them funds on an annual basis.
However, I am willing to withdraw my amendment and would just simply ask the chairman to continue to work with me in the future on this issue.
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