Impact Aid Infrastructure Partnership Act

Key Points

• The bill authorizes $250 million per year for four years ($1 billion total) to fund construction, renovation, and repair of school buildings in districts that serve students living on federal and tribal lands. These districts often cannot raise money through property taxes because federal land is tax-exempt.
• 75% of the funding goes to competitive grants based on building conditions, while 25% goes out through a formula. The competitive grants prioritize schools with health hazards, structural problems, poor air quality, lead in drinking water, and buildings that violate safety codes.
• School districts with no ability to issue bonds get their projects fully funded by the federal government. Districts with some financial capacity must cover 10% to 25% of project costs depending on the share of their students who come from federally connected families.
• The bill addresses a teacher housing crisis on tribal and remote federal lands. In some areas, teachers must commute up to 90 miles each way because no private housing is available, and one Arizona district estimated it would cost $100 million to rebuild outdated teacher housing.
• Surveys show 65% of federally impacted schools report buildings in fair to poor condition, 26% have buildings over 80 years old, and 53% have no ability to issue bonds. The American Society of Civil Engineers has rated school facilities nationally a D+.

Votes

No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.