Statement by AFL-CIO President John J. Sweeney on the America's Better Classrooms Act October 24, 2000 Help | Search:

The AFL-CIO strongly urges the 106^th Congress to pass H.R. 4094, the bipartisan America's Better Classrooms Act, before adjourning this year so that class sizes can be reduced, student learning enhanced, and classrooms wired for 21^st century technology.

Recent reports have concluded that our nation's public schools are too often overcrowded and in poor condition. According to the U.S. Department of Education, states and local school districts will need to build 6,000 new schools by 2006 in order to accommodate rising enrollments and relieve overcrowding. The U.S. General Accounting Office has also reported that major building repairs and replacements are needed in 38% of urban schools, 29% of suburban schools, and 30% of rural schools.

H.R. 4094, which was introduced by Reps. Nancy Johnson and Charles Rangel, would address these problems by authorizing federal tax credits to help states and local school districts build, modernize, and repair their public school facilities. It would also ensure that workers on federally-funded school facilities projects are paid local prevailing wages, so that this construction does not undermine community wage standards. H.R. 4094, which has already been endorsed by 95 local, state, and national organizations and 10 governors, currently has 229 sponsors - a majority of the U.S. House.

For all of these reasons, the AFL-CIO strongly urges the 106^th Congress to pass H.R. 4094 this year.

For information: Lane Windham, 202/637-5018