Impact Aid Day of Action

NAFIS staff were disappointed not to welcome the NAFIS Family to Washington, DC, for the 2020 NAFIS Spring Conference, which was canceled due to concerns regarding the coronavirus outbreak. But we are glad that you are home and able to lead and support the coronavirus response in your school district and community.

We also want to make sure you have the opportunity to connect with Capitol Hill on the importance of the Impact Aid program and the need to increase its funding. We are declaring Tuesday, March 17, which would have been Hill Day during the conference, as an “Impact Aid Day of Action.” On this day, we ask that you contact your congressional representatives regarding Impact Aid.

We know that many of you are focused on addressing the unprecedented challenges that the coronavirus presents and that Impact Aid advocacy may not be a priority at this moment; we would appreciate your support and action at any point in the days and weeks to come.

Here are two ways you can join in:

• Hold a virtual meeting or phone call with your Senators and Representative.
  If you had an in-person meeting scheduled with a Member of Congress or staffer on Hill Day, shift it to a virtual meeting. Tell them how your school districts uses Impact Aid, and use the NAFIS talking points in asking them to show their support for the program. Check out our new tips on calling your Member of Congress to assist in the conversations. Remember to print out the talking points so you have them handy during the conversation.

• Send an email using the NAFIS Action Center.
  • Send the NAFIS talking points to your Senators and Representative.
    If you don’t have time for a phone call during business hours, send the NAFIS talking points to your Members of Congress in an email instead. The NAFIS Action Center includes a template email (which mirrors our typical conference leave behind) for our virtual Hill Day. You can personalize it with information on your school district or send as-is.
  • Ask your Senators to sign the Impact Aid “Dear Colleague” letter.
    Every year to begin the appropriations process, Members of Congress signal their priorities to the appropriations committee through “Dear Colleague” letters. Please urge your Senator to sign the letter, which asks the appropriations committee to provide “strong and robust” funding for Impact Aid and illustrates the importance of the program and the strong, bipartisan support for it. The deadline to sign on is March 25. Visit the NAFIS Action Center to access our template e-mail, which you can personalize or send as-is.