United States Senator John Thune says he hopes Congress passes the Defense Authorization Bills before adjourning for the year.
Thune says the bill could affect “Impact Aid” areas across South Dakota that currently receive compensation from the federal government for taxes that are lost because of federal land located within their school districts.
Thune says this applies to the state’s military bases, Indian reservations, and federal grasslands.
“In recent years districts have experienced a delay in receiving timely payments which puts additional financial burdens on already very cash-strapped school districts. So this provision in the Defense Authorization bill will extend a simplified payment calculation process for two years for these impacted schools which will result in timelier federal payments,” says Thune.
Thune says he’s working with South Dakota school districts. He says he wants the proposed simplified formulas to be permanent, but says this provision is a win for schools that rely on impact aid to ensure that they don’t have to go back to what he calls an inefficient formula.