Norman D. Dicks: “Since my first day in Congress, Impact Aid has always been one of my top priorities. My congressional district in the…”

“Since my first day in Congress, Impact Aid has always been one of my top priorities. My congressional district in the State of Washington is one of the most heavily impacted by large and vital military installations, including Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Naval Undersea Warfare Center Keyport and Submarine Base Bangor, which are either in or near the Sixth Congressional District. Our region proudly hosts thousands of active duty military personnel and their families, who represent a huge economic force in the Pacific Northwest as they contribute substantially to our nation's security. In addition, Washington is also home to 27 federally recognized Native American tribes, many of which I am proud to represent in Congress. With the many advantages of these large federal installations comes the loss of a substantial amount of land from the local tax base, however. Nevertheless, local school districts are still required to provide an education to children who live on these bases and other federally-connected, tax-exempt properties. Nationwide, this adds up to more than 1 million children, imposing more than $1 billion in additional costs to these districts. This is the reason Congress created the Impact Aid program 60 years ago. Although the case in favor of federal Impact Aid payments is clear and compelling, it has frequently been a target for reductions as we have debated the federal budget in Congress.”