[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1777 Referred in House (RFH)]


109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 1777


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 15, 2006

Referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in 
    addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be 
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 
  of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
                               concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT


 
        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. UNEMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE.

    (a) In General.--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 accept applications for assistance 
        during--
                    (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
            (2) subject to subsection (b), the President shall provide 
        assistance to any unemployed individual, to the extent the 
        individual is not entitled to unemployment compensation under 
        any Federal or State law, until that individual is reemployed 
        in a suitable position.
    (b) Limitation for Period of Assistance.--The total amount of 
assistance payable to an individual under subsection (a) may not exceed 
payments based on a 39-week period of unemployment.

SEC. 3. 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 or Hurricane Rita, 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 or rita survivor.--The term ``Katrina or Rita 
        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 Hurricane Rita; 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 or Rita 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 or Rita Survivor.
    (c) Period of Applicability.--This section and the authority 
provided by this section apply only to a community assisting Katrina or 
Rita Survivors from a State during the disaster period of the State.

SEC. 4. 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.

SEC. 5. CONTRACTING AUTHORITY.

    Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
Secretary of Homeland Security, acting through the Under Secretary for 
Emergency Preparedness, shall propose new inspection guidelines that 
prohibit an inspector from entering into a contract with any individual 
or entity for whom the inspector performs an inspection for purposes of 
determining eligibility for assistance from the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency.

            Passed the Senate February 15, 2006.

            Attest:

                                             EMILY J. REYNOLDS,

                                                             Secretary.