Washington, DC —Today, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) and Rep. Andy Kim (NJ-03) introduced H.R.4917 , the Survey our Military Impacted Schools Act. The bill would direct the Department of Defense — in consultation with other relevant agencies — to evaluate the unmet renovation, repair, and expansion needs of elementary and secondary schools across the country that serve children of U.S. military personnel and federal government employees.

“Over 800,000 children of servicemembers attend public schools. Our men and women in uniform, and their families, sacrifice so much in service to our country. They shouldn’t have to worry about the needs of their kids’ schools,” said Rep. Tulsi Gabbard . “Unfortunately, programs to assist these schools are vastly underfunded. My bill will help make sure that necessary resources are prioritized and delivered to schools most in need.”

“Our servicemen and women sacrifice so much in service to our country, we owe their families the best education possible. I’ve talked with countless families and education leaders at our Joint Base who have expressed direct concern about the level of support they receive in Impact Aid. The Survey Our Military Impacted Schools Act will give our policy makers the information they need to ensure we best serve our military families and provide the resources they need,” said Rep. Andy Kim .

Background: According to a survey of 5,650 military and veterans conducted in 2017 by the Military Family Advisory Network (MFAN), 43 percent of military families had elected to live separately from the active military member at some point in their career, with 21 percent citing a need for continuity in their children’s education.

Chronic underfunding of the Impact Aid program has resulted in military-connected children attending schools that are operating at a loss and without the resources needed to help these students thrive. H.R.4917 would help better quantify where there are needs and provide better direction for Congress to allocate resources to meet these needs.

From her first days in office, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard has been a steadfast advocate fighting for quality of life issues that impact servicemembers and military veterans. She has worked tirelessly as a member of the House Armed Services Committee and several Congressional veterans issues caucuses to raise awareness about the challenges faced by servicemembers, military veterans, and their families.

About Rep. Tulsi Gabbard: Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard is serving her fourth term in the United States House representing Hawaii’s Second District, and serves on the House Armed Services and Financial Services Committees. She previously served on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Homeland Security Committee. She was elected to the Honolulu City Council in 2010, and prior to that at age 21, was elected to the Hawaiʻi State Legislature in 2002, becoming the youngest person ever elected in the state. Tulsi Gabbard has served in the Hawaiʻi Army National Guard for 16 years, is a veteran of two Middle East deployments, and continues to serve as a Major. Learn more about Rep. Tulsi Gabbard...

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