On Wednesday, June 4, Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy (NY-4) voted for passage of the 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act (H.R. 3021). The bill, which passed the house by a vote of 250 to 164, authorizes $6.4 billion for much needed modernizations, renovations and repairs to the nation's schools. The funding will help schools to become safer, healthier, more energy efficient, environmentally friendly and technologically up-to-date.

McCarthy had language included in the bill, which will help make our nation's schools safer and more secure by allowing funding to be used by schools for emergency planning. Additionally, McCarthy's language called for the professional installation of fire/life safety alarms and improvements to building infrastructure in order to accommodate security measures.

"This bill is an important step to help make our schools safer, greener and better learning environments for our children. We know that students do far better academically in suitable learning environments and teachers are more likely to stay at schools that are in good physical shape, getting the experience they need to improve their skills," McCarthy said. "Children can not learn and teachers can not teach in crumbling schools where poor physical conditions distract from classroom activities."

Of the language McCarthy had added to the bill, she said, "All too often we are heartbroken to hear stories about disasters that strike our nation's schools, and we ask ourselves, 'What could we have done to prevent this?' While there is no way we can prevent every tragedy, we can and must do more to be prepared and put security measures in place that will diminish the threats and risks to our children."

In addition, the legislation would help boost the economy by creating jobs in the nation's construction industry, one of the industries hit hardest by the recent economic downturn. The legislation would ensure fair pay for workers by applying Davis-Bacon prevailing wage protections to all grants awarded for school improvement projects.

The bill would also provide additional support for Gulf Coast schools still recovering from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. In the Gulf Coast, where public schools still face hundreds of millions of dollars in unmet need in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the legislation would authorize additional, separate funds - half a billion dollars over five years.