[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 193 (Thursday, November 12, 2020)] [Senate] [Pages S6659-S6660] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] IMPACT AID CORONAVIRUS RELIEF ACT Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, this summer, Senator Smith and I introduced the Impact Aid Coronavirus Relief Act. If enacted, this bill would provide much needed relief to school districts participating in the Impact Aid Program. And given the many other [[Page S6660]] strains they are feeling due to the ongoing pandemic, it can't come soon enough. By way of background, public school districts on military installations, Tribal land, and other Federal public property, or with students living on these Federal properties, can participate in the Impact Aid Program, which includes nearly 40 school districts in the State of South Dakota. This program is of vital importance to the financial well-being of these schools, as it reimburses them for revenue shortfalls due to the reduction or absence of a local tax base because of the presence of Federal property In order to determine grant awards through this program, school districts must annually calculate the number of federally connected students that they have enrolled. While generally a prudent exercise, during a pandemic, conducting this type of count has presented a new set of challenges for administrators. The Impact Aid Coronavirus Relief Act is a commonsense, bipartisan approach that would not cost a dime yet would provide financial stability to school districts by allowing them to use last year's student headcounts on impact aid applications that they are completing this fall. Doing so would prevent the reporting of noticeable, but likely temporary, declines in student enrollment, which would lead to student reduced impact aid payments next year. Distance learning has made collecting student data more challenging as well. Districts are also experiencing declines in student headcount due to parents choosing to temporarily homeschool their children during the pandemic. Unless Congress allows these school districts to use last year's student headcounts on this year's impact aid applications, schools will have the undue burden of collecting this data during an otherwise challenging time and could very well experience a reduced impact aid payment next fall. Our legislation will ensure that they have certainty in the near term. A companion of our bill passed the House by unanimous consent on October 2, and impact aid school districts are eager for the Senate to do the same. I hope we can get that done today. I yield to the Senator from Minnesota for some comments. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Minnesota. Ms. SMITH. Mr. President, I rise in support of my colleague Senator Thune's request to pass the Impact Aid Coronavirus Relief Act, H.R. 8472, by unanimous consent. As we continue to respond to the coronavirus pandemic, we need to support schools so that students can keep learning. In Congress, we have a special obligation to federally impacted schools. As my colleague Senator Thune has said, these are schools that are located in districts with a significant amount of nontaxable land, which puts them at a significant disadvantage for raising education revenue. And we make this right by providing direct Federal payments which are crucial for their operation. What this bill does--what our bill does--is to provide a commonsense change. It allows school districts to use student counts from the previous academic year when they submit their impact aid applications. In light of the challenges of doing a safe and active count in the midst of this coronavirus pandemic, this only makes sense. I thank my colleague from North Dakota, Senator Thune. I have been so glad to work with him to support school districts that rely on Impact Aid Programs and to promote financial stability for these school districts during the pandemic. I hope we can pass this bill today and get it signed into law. I yield. Mr. THUNE. I thank the Senator from Minnesota. Mr. President, as if in legislative session, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H.R. 8472, which was received from the House. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title. The bill clerk read as follows: A bill (H.R. 8472) to provide that, due to the disruptions caused by COVID-19, applications for impact aid funding for fiscal year 2022 may use certain data submitted in the fiscal year 2021 application. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection to proceeding? There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill. Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection? Without objection, it is so ordered. The bill (H.R. 8472) was ordered to a third reading, was read the third time, and passed. ____________________