U.S. Representative Henry Cuellar co-sponsored legislation Wednesday that would help renovate and modernize public schools in Texas and around the country.

By a vote of 250 to 164, the House passed the 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act (H.R. 3021), which provides funding to states and school districts to help ensure that school facilities and learning environments are safe, healthy, energy-efficient, environmentally friendly, and technologically advanced. The legislation includes $596 million in funding for physical improvement projects for Texas schools.

“Millions of school children, teachers and administrators spend their days in school buildings.  They deserve a safe and healthy environment in order to succeed and thrive,” Congressman Cuellar said, “This legislation will provide critical federal funds to serve the students and educators of District 28.”

According to recent estimates, America’s public schools are hundreds of billions of dollars short of the funding needed to bring them into good condition.

“By helping schools renovate and repair crumbling facilities,” Congressman Cuellar added, “We not only provide a better setting for instruction, we incorporate our public schools into the solution for energy and global warming concerns by increasing our infrastructure’s efficiency, and we inject demand into the faltering U.S. construction industry. This bill will help improve education, the economy, and the environment – a clear win for children, educators, workers and the planet.”

In total, H.R. 3021 would authorize $6.4 billion to increase energy efficiency and the use of renewable resources in schools. The bill would require that the majority of funds for school improvement projects meet widely recognized green building standards and would provide states with funds to help schools track their facilities’ needs, energy use, and carbon footprints, among other things.

For more information on H.R. 3021, click here.

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Congressman Henry Cuellar is a member of the House Homeland Security, Small Business, and Agriculture Committees in the 110th Congress. Accessibility to constituents, education, health care and economic development are his priorities. Congressman Cuellar is also a Senior Whip.