06.22.20

House Democrats Introduce H.R. 2, the Moving Forward Act

Rebuild and Reopen America's Schools Act is a Critical Part of Infrastructure Package

WASHINGTON –  Today, Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA), joined by Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Peter A. DeFazio (D-OR), Financial Services Committee Chairwoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard E. Neal (D-MA), Oversight and Reform Committee Chairwoman Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY), and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Raúl Grijalva, released the text of H.R. 2, the Moving Forward Act. 

The infrastructure package includes the Reopen and Rebuild America’s Schools Act, which invests $130 billion targeted at high-poverty schools with facilities that endanger the health and safety of students and educators. 

 “Even before the pandemic, our chronic neglect of America’s public schools forced students and teachers across the country to learn and work in outdated and hazardous school buildings. Now, as we confront the COVID-19 pandemic, our failure to make necessary investments in school infrastructure could prevent schools from reopening safely,” said Chairman Scott during last week's press conference. 

“Passing this legislation will not only help students get back to school, it will help workers get back to work by creating over 2 million new jobs over the next five years. This infrastructure package is a critical step towards helping our students and our economy recover from the pandemic.”

The Reopen and Rebuild America’s Schools Act would:

  • Invest $100 billion in grants and $30 billion in bond authority targeted at high-poverty schools with facilities that pose health and safety risks to students and staff;
  • Create more 2 million jobs based on an Economic Policy Institute analysis that each $1 billion spent on construction creates 17,785 jobs;
  • Allocate 2020 program dollars on an emergency basis to aid in safely reopening public schools in line with Centers for Disease Control (CDC) public health guidelines—such as for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems; 
  • Develop a comprehensive national database on the condition of public-school facilities; such a national database currently does not exist and would provide much-needed insight into the condition of our public schools; and
  • Expand access to high-speed broadband to ensure that public schools have the reliable and high-speed Internet access they need for digital learning.

To read the Reopen and Rebuild America’s Schools Act fact sheet, click here.

To read the Reopen and Rebuild America’s Schools Act section-by-section, click here. 

To read the Moving Forward Act, click here.

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