Congressman Dwight Evans represents Pennsylvania’s 3rd Congressional District, which includes Northwest and West Philadelphia and parts of North, South and Center City Philadelphia. He was first elected in a special election in November 2016. Before that, he served as a state representative for 36 years, and earned a reputation as a pragmatic leader who knows how to put public policy above politics and make ideas matter. He made history in 1990 when he became the first African-American chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, a position he held for two decades.
Investing in the education of our students is an investment in the future of our workforce. We have an obligation to make sure that each and every one of our students has the tools and resources they need to be successful both in and outside of the classroom. In order to ensure student success our school buildings need to keep pace with the changing times.
Throughout my life, I have dedicated my time to improving opportunities and expanding access to resources. A key way to build a brighter future for our neighborhoods is to make sure all of our kids have the opportunity to go to a quality school that has a community of teachers and peers that are invested in their success.
As a strong advocate for making investments that continue to enhance our public school system the first bill I introduced in the 115th Congress is, the Rehabilitation of Historic Schools Act of 2017, H.R. 922. My bill would amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow public school buildings to qualify for the rehabilitation credit which in turn would give our public schools the necessary resources and funds to make improvements to school buildings across the country.
I am proud to share that the School Infrastructure Modernization Act has been introduced by United States Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner. This bill is the Senate companion legislation to H.R. 922, my School Rehabilitation Bill.