South Dakota Senator John Thune (R-S.D.) and Minnesota Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) issued the following statements yesterday (Nov. 12, 2020) after the Senate unanimously approved their Impact Aid Coronavirus Relief Act, legislation that would allow school districts that participate in the Impact Aid Program to use their student headcount from the 2019-2020 school year on their 2021-2022 Impact Aid applications. This bill would ensure that schools do not need to recount federally connected students during the uncertainty created by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Impact Aid Program reimburses school districts located on federal property for their students who live on federal land and, therefore, collect less in local property taxes to fund their schools.
“It’s more important than ever that participating school districts have the funding stability and certainty they need,” said Thune. “That’s why I’m glad the Senate passed this critical legislation to help ensure that Impact Aid schools can continue to educate their students now and into the future.”
“We need to make sure that schools in Minnesota and across the nation receive strong investments during the pandemic so they can continue to operate,” said Smith. “We have a special obligation to supporting federally impacted schools, which receive direct federal payments because they’re located in school districts with a significant amount of nontaxable land. I’m glad the Senate passed our bipartisan effort to help ensure that Impact Aid applications are not disrupted by the pandemic.”
South Dakota U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) applauded the Senate passage of his bipartisan bill to safeguard Educational Impact Aid for military and tribal schoolchildren amid the pandemic.
“In October, I visited with Bennett County High School administrators. They stressed the importance of this program when it comes to ensuring their school has the funding it needs to get by,” said Johnson. “This fix will provide certainty to schools like Bennett, and I’m grateful for the bipartisan work that was put into this to make sure it got done before the end of the year.”
The Impact Aid Coronavirus Relief Act now heads to the president to be signed into law.
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