Joe Crowley: “I rise in support, in strong support, of the Lowey amendment. School renovation and construction is of the utmost…”

“I rise in support, in strong support, of the Lowey amendment. School renovation and construction is of the utmost importance to our children and to the future of our country. My colleague from New York has been a leader in the fight for Federal funding for school renovation and construction assistance. Schools, as part of our Nation's infrastructure, are in desperate need of repair and modernization. One-third of our Nation's schools were built prior to World War II. In the city of New York, the average age of a school is 55 years of age, and one out of five schools is over 75 years of age. I have the most overcrowded school district in New York City, School District 24, which is operating at 119 percent of capacity. Additionally, enrollment is increasing by 30,000 every 5 years. My colleagues from New York are seeing similar problems arise. How can we expect our children to work hard and care about their education and their future when they have classrooms that were formerly closets or bathrooms? That is not showing that we care about our children. I ask, would someone allow their child to attend a school that has a roof falling in or fire alarms that do not work? Congress is allowing their children to go to school under those conditions.”