ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION No. 64

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

INTRODUCED MARCH 4, 1996

By Assemblymen GARRETT and GREGG

An Assembly Resolution urging the President and the Congress of the United States to eliminate the cuts in federal impact aid to school districts contained in the FY 1995 Rescissions Bill.

    Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

Whereas, The FY 1995 Rescissions Bill, HR 1158, passed the House of Representatives on March 16, 1995 and the Senate on April 6, 1995 and a conference on the bill between the Houses has been requested by the Senate; and

Whereas, The FY 1995 Rescissions Bill in its current form includes proposed cuts in federal impact aid to school districts which in New Jersey means that school districts might lose in excess of $16 million of such aid in the current and succeeding school years; and

Whereas, Federal impact aid has historically been provided to school districts to compensate communities for the loss of tax revenue which results from the presence of non-taxable federally owned land within those communities; and

Whereas, In some New Jersey communities, especially geographically smaller communities, the amount of federally owned land which has been removed from the community's tax rolls represents a significant proportion of the total amount of property within that community and the fact that the value of that property has increased significantly since it was first acquired by the federal government means that the amount of tax revenue which the community is losing is also increasing; and

Whereas, A community's limited ability to raise revenue impacts upon its ability to provide a quality education to students attending the public school district within its borders; and

Whereas, Such school districts have relied upon the receipt of federal impact aid in structuring their budgets and for some districts the loss of federal impact aid will have a disastrous effect on those budgets and will necessitate either a significant increase in local taxes or a drastic cutback in educational programs and services; and

Whereas, The federal government must recognize its obligation to honor the agreement which it made with local communities to compensate them for the presence of federal land and facilities within their borders and must continue to provide the federal impact aid which assists school districts located within communities with limited tax raising ability to provide adequate educational services; now, therefore,

    BE IT RESOLVED by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

    1. The President and Congress of the United States are urged to eliminate the cuts in federal impact aid included within the FY 1995 Rescissions Bill, HR 1158, and to honor the federal government's obligation to communities with federal property and facilities within their borders through the continuation of impact aid funding to local school districts.

    2. Copies of this resolution, signed by the Speaker of the General Assembly and attested by the Clerk thereof, shall be transmitted to the President and Vice-President of the United States, the Majority and Minority Leaders of the United States Senate, the Speaker and the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, and every member of Congress elected from this State.

STATEMENT

    This resolution urges the President and Congress of the United States to eliminate the cuts in federal impact aid to school districts included within the FY 1995 Rescissions Bill, HR 1158.

Urges President and Congress to eliminate cuts in federal impact aid to school districts contained in the FY 1995 Rescissions Bill.