Source: United States Senator for Ohio Sherrod Brown
WASHINGTON D.C. – In light of this week’s intense Ohio heat wave that caused safety concerns in older public school buildings across the state and forced schools to dismiss students early, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) released the following statement on the need for the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and the Reopen and Rebuild America’s Schools Act.
“Ensuring that Ohio’s students can learn in safe, healthy environments is a top priority. The bipartisan infrastructure deal would allow public schools to apply for energy-efficient improvement grants, which could be used to upgrade their HVAC systems – it’s another reason we need to get the plan to the president’s desk and signed into law, so we can get students back in the classroom,” said Brown. “It’s also why I’m working to pass my Reopen and Rebuild America’s Schools Act, which would invest $130 billion to help schools upgrade their physical and digital infrastructure – including upgrading school HVAC systems.”
A section of the bipartisan IIJA would provide grants for schools to make energy efficiency improvements. The Reopen and Rebuild America’s Schools Act would allocate emergency funds in 2022 to help reopen public schools in line with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s public health guidelines—for heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems.
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