Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. REED. Mr. President, among the many barriers to safely bringing students, teachers, and staff back to school for in-person instruction is the condition of school facilities. A recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report found that over half (54 percent) of school districts nationwide need to update or replace multiple systems in their schools, such as heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC), or plumbing. These systems are especially critical to safeguarding public health as we combat COVID-19.

Now is the time to invest in school infrastructure. Doing so will improve the resilience of our schools, improve student learning, reduce carbon emissions, and create jobs. That is why I am proud to partner with Chairman Scott in the House of Representatives in introducing the Reopen and Rebuild America's Schools Act to fix our schools. I would like to thank my Senate colleagues who are joining in this effort, including Senators Brown, Booker, Cardin, Cortez Masto, Whitehouse, Merkley, Hirono, Gillibrand, Van Hollen, Rosen, Smith, Murphy, Shaheen, Klobuchar, Lujan, Casey, Durbin, Warren, Blumenthal, Hassan, Heinrich, Duckworth, Coons, Leahy, and Stabenow.

Public schools play a vital role in every community across the Nation. They play a central role in our democracy--educating the next generation, serving as polling places for our elections, hosting community meetings and events, and so much more. When there is a natural disaster or an emergency, people often gather at their public schools for shelter, information, and resources. They are essential facilities and must be included in any new major federal investment in infrastructure.

Safe, healthy, modern, well-equipped schools are also essential for advancing student achievement and ensuring that the next generation is prepared to meet the economic, social, environmental, and global challenges our Nation faces. Yet, too many of the over 50 million students and six million staff who learn and work in our public schools spend their days in facilities that fail to make the grade. In fact, the American Society of Civil Engineers gave public school buildings across the country an overall grade of D+ in its latest report card. The 2016 State of Our Schools report found that state and local governments spend $46 billion less than what is required to update and maintain their school facilities.

States and local communities cannot bridge this gap alone, especially when many struggle to simply keep teachers and staff on the payroll. We know the budget shortfalls will hit low-income and minority communities the hardest. The GAO report found high poverty schools were more likely to rely on state funding to cover the cost of building repairs compared to wealthier schools, which were more likely to fund projects through local property taxes. The Federal government can and should be a partner in upgrading our public school facilities.

Addressing this need is not only the right thing to do for our students; it will also give a needed boost to our economy, putting people to work in family sustaining jobs. According to an analysis by the Economic Policy Institute, every $1 billion spent on construction generates 17,785 jobs.

The Reopen and Rebuild America's Schools Act of 2021 will create a Federal-State partnership for school infrastructure. It will provide, over ten years, a total of $130 billion in direct grants and school construction bonds to help fill the annual gap in school facility capital needs, while creating nearly two million jobs.

Specifically, the Reopen and Rebuild America's Schools Act will provide $100 billion in formula funds to states for local competitive grants for school repair, renovation, and construction. States will focus assistance on communities with the greatest financial need, encourage green construction practices, and expand access to high-speed broadband to ensure that all students have access to digital learning. Our legislation would also provide $30 billion for qualified school infrastructure bonds (QSIBs), $10 billion each year from FY 2022 through FY 2024, and restore the Qualified Zone Academy Bonds (QZABs) that were eliminated in the Republican Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. The legislation also eases the matching requirements and expands the authority and eligible purposes of QZABs to allow local education agencies to construct, rehabilitate, retrofit, or repair school facilities. The Reopen and Rebuild America's Schools Act also supports American workers by ensuring that projects use American-made iron, steel, and manufactured products and meet labor standards.

I would like to thank the broad coalition of educators, community organizations, unions, civil rights advocates, and employers that have provided feedback and support for this legislation, including the 21st Century Schools Fund, AASA The School Superintendents Association, American Association of School Administrators, American Concrete Pavement Association, American Concrete Pipe Association, American Concrete Pressure Pipe Association, American Concrete Pumping Association, American Federation of Teachers, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Association of Educational Service Agencies, Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents, Association of School Business Officials International, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, BlueGreen Alliance, Build America's School Infrastructure Coalition, Californians for School Facilities, Coalition for Healthier Schools, Concrete Foundations Association, Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute, Council of Great City Schools, Green Building Initiative, Healthy Schools Network, International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART), International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers, International Union of Operating Engineers, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, National Association of Federally Impacted Schools, National Association of Elementary School Principals, National Association of Federally Impacted Schools, National Association of School Nurses, National Association of Secondary School Principals, National Concrete Masonry Association, National Education Association, National Precast Concrete Association, National PTA, National Ready Mixed Concrete, National Rural Education Advocacy Consortium, National Rural Education Association, National Urban League, North America's Building Trades Union, North American Concrete Alliance, Organizations Concerned About Rural Education, Parents for School Safety, Portland Cement Association, Precast/ Prestressed Concrete Institute, Public Advocacy for Kids, Rebuild America's Schools Coalition, Rural School and Community Trust, Teach Plus, The Brick Industry Association, Tilt-Up Concrete Association, U.S. Green Building Council, and the United Steelworkers.

We have no time to waste in fixing our deteriorating school infrastructure. In the words of a student activist in Providence, Rhode Island: ``Students cannot learn in a crumbling building, a school that isn't fit to uplift our minds.'' We need to listen to our students, strengthen our communities, and improve our school buildings. I urge all of our colleagues to support the Reopen and Rebuild America's Schools Act and press for its passage ______

By Mrs. FEINSTEIN:

S. 102. A bill to amend the West Los Angeles Leasing Act of 2016 to authorize the use of certain funds received pursuant to leases entered into under such Act, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. REED. Mr. President, today I am introducing legislation to address the decades of underinvestment in our Nation's libraries by reinstating Federal support for library construction.

Libraries are essential community institutions that give the public access to information and services that expand learning and promote economic opportunity. When we invest in our libraries, we are offering a helping hand and hope for the future. During natural disasters and economic upheaval, libraries offer the resources and information that help people get back on their feet. As the Rolling Stones' Keith Richards reportedly said, ``The public library is the great equalizer.''

Over the last year, COVID-19 and the heightened attention to racial and economic inequality have made clear that investment in our communities should be a national priority as we work to lift people up and bring the country closer together. And that our investment in infrastructure must encompass vital community assets like schools and libraries and not just roads, bridges, and highways.

And while we know libraries are more than buildings with books and computers, they are still buildings. For thirty years, the Federal government invested in the physical infrastructure of our libraries, but abandoned that program in the early 1990s. The intervening years have taken their toll on library facilities. Indeed, the average library building is now more than 40 years old and many need large- scale improvements and modernization.

On top of this longstanding underinvestment, the pandemic has forced libraries to adapt and innovate to meet the evolving needs of their communities despite limited financial resources. The American Library Association projects billions of dollars in losses to libraries over the course of the pandemic, at a time when reliance on libraries from low-income, underserved, and Tribal communities is increasing. The pandemic's outsized impact on vulnerable communities only heightens the urgency of investing in libraries.

The Build America's Libraries Act would make $5 billion available over three years to support improvements to library facilities and invest in new library infrastructure to expand the reach of library services and programs. Priority is given to libraries that demonstrate the greatest need and predominantly serve underserved or distressed communities. The legislation also places emphasis on projects that seek to enhance facility safety, high-speed broadband access, accessibility for those with disabilities, or energy efficiency. Library construction funded by this legislation will directly boost our struggling economy by putting Americans to work and strengthening the facilities that connect patrons with educational and workforce training resources and local economic opportunities.

Libraries have always anchored our communities, and as such, we should ensure their ability to provide critical services for years to come. I am pleased to be joined by Senators Whitehouse, Wyden, and Sanders in introducing this bill, which has the support of many organizations, including the American Library Association; American Indian Library Association; American Institute of Architects; American Society of Interior Designers; Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums; Association for Rural & Small Libraries; Chief Officers of State Library Agencies; Council of State Archivists; Education Market Association; International WELL Building Institute; National Coalition for History; National Coalition for Literacy; National Digital Inclusion Alliance; National Summer Learning Association; Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition; and Urban Libraries Council. I hope that our colleagues will join us in cosponsoring the Build America's Libraries Act and work for its inclusion in any infrastructure package. ______

By Mrs. FEINSTEIN:

S. 138. A bill to waive certain pay limitations for Department of Agriculture and Department of the Interior employees engaged in emergency wildland fire suppression activities, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source