[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