Benjamin Gilman: “Mr. Speaker, as a longtime cosponsor of impact aid legislation, I rise today in strong support of this bill. I would…”

“Mr. Speaker, as a longtime cosponsor of impact aid legislation, I rise today in strong support of this bill. I would note that the Impact Aid Reauthorization Act of 2000 is an important step forward. This measure, Mr. Speaker, will assist those school districts with their loss of tax revenues resulting from a heavy presence of federally owned lands. Such is the case for the Highland Falls-Fort Montgomery School District located in Orange County, New York, which includes some 16,000 acres of the United States Military Academy at West Point. Mr. Speaker, this measure establishes a pilot program for heavily impacted school districts and addresses the growing problem of how to compensate school districts for the loss of impact aid revenues due to the continued practice of privatizing military housing, all of which is of particular concern to those in the Highland Falls-Fort Montgomery District due to the presence of the West Point Military Academy.”