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The House Education and Labor Committee passed H.R. 2187, the 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act, which expanded the classroom noise and acoustics provisions in the legislation. If passed by Congress and signed into law, H.R. 2187 would allow federal grants to be used by districts to take, "measures designed to reduce or eliminate human exposure to classroom noise and environmental noise pollution." Congressman Joe Sestak (D-PA) also offered a two-word amendment allowing schools to use money on "ceilings [and] flooring."
During Representative Sestak's remarks on his amendment he informed the committee that he was late to the markup because he was visiting with his daughter's audiologist. He indicated that his daughter is recovering from surgery for a brain tumor and is receiving chemotherapy which has resulted in some degree of hearing loss. Sestak further noted that his congressional district is in the flight path of Philadelphia International Airport with planes flying as low as 500 feet above the ground. He has received reports of children not being able to hear in their schools and has been fighting with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on noise abatement.
ASHA worked with Representative Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) to provide further direction for the classroom noise provisions in the bill's report language that reads: "The Committee encourages school districts that undertake projects to reduce or eliminate human exposure to classroom noise and environmental noise pollution, and the Secretary, in providing technical assistance concerning reducing background noise and reverberation in classrooms, to consider the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) approved Standard S12.60- 2002, [Acoustical Performance Criteria, Design Requirements, and Guidelines for School]."
H.R. 2187 would authorize $6.4 billion for school renovation and modernization projects for fiscal year 2010 and would ensure that school districts quickly receive funds for projects that improve schools' teaching and learning climates, health and safety, and energy efficiency. The full House will likely consider H.R. 2187 in the near future.
Further information on the bill can be found on the U.S. House Committee on Education and Labor Web site. For additional information, please contact Neil Snyder, ASHA's Director of Federal Advocacy, at 800-498-2071, ext. 5614 or nsnyder@asha.org.
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