The Senate may be considering a tax extenders package this week and includes an extension of the Teacher Tax Deduction program.

A summary of the bills before the Senate:

• There are two major school construction bills supported by Rebuild America’s Schools. Senator Rockefeller’s S 912 the America’s Better Classroom Act and Senator Harkin’s S1942 the Public School Repair and Renovation Act, are being considered in the Senate Finance and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committees.
  
• While not direct companion bills to the 21st Century Green High-Performing Public Schools Facilities Act both the America’s Better Classrooms Act and the Public School Repair and Renovation Act provide substantial legislative vehicles to advance school construction in the Senate
  
• The America’s Better Classrooms Act (S 912/HR 2470) sponsored by Senator Rockefeller (West Virginia) and House Ways and Means Committee Chair Charles Rangel (New York), Congressman Jim Ramstad (Minnesota), Congressman Bob Etheridge (North Carolina) and 215 House co-sponsors will help underwrite over $25 billion through tax credits for school construction bonds at a cost to the U.S. Treasury of $1.67 billion over five years; $6.7 billion over ten years for the entire $25 billion program. Components of the ABC bill would cost even less.
  
• Senator Tom Harkin’s (Iowa) legislation S 1942, the Public School Repair and Renovation Act provides $1.6 billion in grants to communities that continue to struggle to fund needed school facility repairs. This legislation builds on the Emergency School Repair Program which was funded at $1.2 billion when Congress first authorized it in 2000. Under the Emergency School Repair Program, states and school districts successfully used $1.2 billion to repair and renovate public schools in 2001 and 2002. The 21st Century Green High-Performing Public Schools Facilities Act uses some of the same mechanisms as Senator Harkins’ legislation.