Rep. Tulsi Gabbard Introduces Bill to Support Schools Serving Servicemembers' Children

Press Release

Today, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) and Rep. Andy Kim (NJ-03) introduced H.R.4917, the Survey our Military Impacted Schools Act. The bill would direct the Department of Defense -- in consultation with other relevant agencies -- to evaluate the unmet renovation, repair, and expansion needs of elementary and secondary schools across the country that serve children of U.S. military personnel and federal government employees.

"Over 800,000 children of servicemembers attend public schools. Our men and women in uniform, and their families, sacrifice so much in service to our country. They shouldn't have to worry about the needs of their kids' schools," said Rep. Tulsi Gabbard. "Unfortunately, programs to assist these schools are vastly underfunded. My bill will help make sure that necessary resources are prioritized and delivered to schools most in need."

"Our servicemen and women sacrifice so much in service to our country, we owe their families the best education possible. I've talked with countless families and education leaders at our Joint Base who have expressed direct concern about the level of support they receive in Impact Aid. The Survey Our Military Impacted Schools Act will give our policy makers the information they need to ensure we best serve our military families and provide the resources they need," said Rep. Andy Kim.

Background: According to a survey of 5,650 military and veterans conducted in 2017 by the Military Family Advisory Network (MFAN), 43 percent of military families had elected to live separately from the active military member at some point in their career, with 21 percent citing a need for continuity in their children's education.

Chronic underfunding of the Impact Aid program has resulted in military-connected children attending schools that are operating at a loss and without the resources needed to help these students thrive. H.R.4917 would help better quantify where there are needs and provide better direction for Congress to allocate resources to meet these needs.

From her first days in office, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard has been a steadfast advocate fighting for quality of life issues that impact servicemembers and military veterans. She has worked tirelessly as a member of the House Armed Services Committee and several Congressional veterans issues caucuses to raise awareness about the challenges faced by servicemembers, military veterans, and their families.

She has led the charge on addresssing burn pits, been outspoken in confronting military sexual assault, called out administrators regarding the quality of military housing, and promoted greater career opportunities for veterans.

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