Posted: | November 21, 2019 12:23 PM |
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From: | Representative Elizabeth Fiedler |
To: | All House members |
Subject: | Public School Building Emergency Repair Grant Program |
This is a re-introduction of HB1636 from this session year, the bill has been re-drafted as a Public School Code bill. This bill is an important step to protect our children and teachers from being poisoned by toxic conditions in their school buildings. This morning a Pennsylvania teacher made national headlines for sharing her story: she has been diagnosed with mesothelioma after dedicating 28 years of her life as a public school teacher. This proposal would establish a $125 million grant program within the Department of Education, known as the Public School Building Emergency Repair and Renovation Grant Program. The grants would be distributed with $85 million to Philadelphia, $30 million to districts with high rates of poverty and the remaining $10 million to any other district. The program would be funded from the General Fund. School districts could use the grant funding solely for emergency repairs, such as lead and asbestos abatement or remediation, HVAC repair or replacement, electrical system repair or replacement, plumbing repair or replacement, roof and window repair or replacement and other repairs or replacements that present a health or safety issue. Money dedicated for this purpose will not be for school districts to build new schools or athletic fields; it will be used exclusively for making current buildings safe and healthy for our students and teachers. |
Introduced as HB2147