[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1777 Placed on Calendar Senate (PCS)]
Calendar No. 229
109th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1777
To provide relief for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
September 27, 2005
Ms. Collins, from the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental
Affairs, reported the following original bill; which was read twice and
placed on the calendar
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide relief for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Katrina Emergency Assistance Act of
2005''.
SEC. 2. INDIVIDUAL AND HOUSEHOLD ASSISTANCE.
(a) Maximum Amounts.--Notwithstanding section 408 of the Robert T.
Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5174),
in providing assistance to individuals and households affected by
Hurricane Katrina, the President may waive the limitation on total
assistance under subsection (h) of that section.
(b) Types of Housing Assistance.--No limitation relating to the
maximum amount of assistance under paragraph (2) or (3) of section
408(c) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency
Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5174(c)) shall apply with respect to
assistance to individuals and households affected by Hurricane Katrina.
(c) Financial Assistance to Address Other Needs.--Notwithstanding
section 408(g)(2) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and
Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5174(g)(2)), in the case of
financial assistance provided under subsection (e) of that section to
any individual or household affected by Hurricane Katrina, the
President may increase the Federal share to not more than 90 percent.
SEC. 3. UNEMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE.
Notwithstanding section 410 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster
Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5177), in providing
assistance under that section to individuals unemployed as a result of
Hurricane Katrina--
(1) the President shall provide assistance for as long as
the unemployment of the individual continues, but for not
longer than 39 weeks after the date on which the unemployed
individual first receives assistance;
(2) the President shall accept applications for assistance
for--
(A) the 90-day period beginning on the date on
which the applicable major disaster was declared; or
(B) such longer period as may be established by the
President; and
(3) the amount of assistance provided to an unemployed
individual for each week of unemployment shall be not less than
50 percent of the national average weekly unemployment benefit
provided to an individual as of the date of the major disaster
for which unemployment assistance is provided.
SEC. 4. REIMBURSEMENT FOR PURCHASES.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Disaster period.--The term ``disaster period'' means,
with respect to any State that includes an area for which a
major disaster has been declared in accordance with section 401
of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency
Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170) as a result of Hurricane
Katrina, the period beginning on the earliest date on which any
area of the State was so declared and ending on the latest date
for which any such declaration of an area of the State
terminates.
(2) Katrina survivor.--The term ``Katrina Survivor'' means
an individual who--
(A) resides in an area for which a major disaster
has been declared in accordance with 401 of the Robert
T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance
Act (42 U.S.C. 5170) as a result of Hurricane Katrina;
or
(B) resided in an area described in subparagraph
(A) during the 7 days immediately preceding the date of
declaration of a major disaster described in
subparagraph (A).
(3) Major disaster.--The term ``major disaster'' has the
meaning given the term in section 102 of the Robert T. Stafford
Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5122).
(b) Reimbursement.--
(1) In general.--Notwithstanding any other provision of
law, the President may reimburse a community for each purchase
of supplies (such as food, personal hygiene products, linens,
and clothing) distributed to Katrina Survivors.
(2) Eligible purchases.--Reimbursement under paragraph (1)
shall be available only with respect to supplies that--
(A) are purchased with taxpayer dollars; and
(B) would otherwise be eligible for reimbursement
if purchased by a Katrina Survivor.
(c) Period of Applicability.--This section and the authority
provided by this section apply only to a community assisting Katrina
Survivors from a State during the disaster period of the State.
SEC. 5. MICROPURCHASES.
(a) In General.--Section 101 of the Second Emergency Supplemental
Appropriations Act to Meet Immediate Needs Arising From the
Consequences of Hurricane Katrina, 2005 (Public Law 109-62) is
repealed.
(b) Authority.--The authority provided in subsection 32A of the
Office of Federal Procurement Policy Act (41 U.S.C. 428a) may be used
with respect to any procurement for property or services determined by
the head of an Executive agency to be necessary for support of
Hurricane Katrina rescue and relief operations.
(c) Expiration.--The authority provided by subsection (b) shall
expire on the date that is 180 days after the date of enactment of this
Act.
SEC. 6. INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS DISPLACED BY KATRINA.
It is the sense of Congress that the Bureau of Immigration and
Customs Enforcement within the Department of Homeland Security should
suspend or refrain from initiating removal proceedings for
international students and scholars who are deportable solely due to
their inability to fulfill the terms of their visas as a result of a
national disaster, such as Hurricane Katrina.
Calendar No. 229
109th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1777
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide relief for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
_______________________________________________________________________
September 27, 2005
Read twice and placed on the calendar