[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 150 (Monday, September 22, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H8525-H8527]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1500
      ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION HURRICANE RECOVERY RELIEF

  Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules 
and pass the bill (H.R. 6890) to extend the waiver authority for the 
Secretary of Education under section 105 of subtitle A of title IV of 
division B of Public Law 109-148, relating to elementary and secondary 
education hurricane recovery relief, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 6890

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. EXTENSION OF WAIVER AUTHORITY TO EASE FISCAL 
                   BURDENS.

       Section 105 of subtitle A of title IV of division B of 
     Public Law 109-148 (119 Stat. 2797) is amended--
       (1) in the second sentence of subsection (b), by striking 
     ``2008'' and inserting ``2009''; and
       (2) in subsection (c)(2), by striking ``for fiscal year 
     2006 or 2007'' and inserting ``for any fiscal year''.

     SEC. 2. HOLD HARMLESS FOR LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES SERVING 
                   MAJOR DISASTER AREAS.

       In the case of a local educational agency that serves an 
     area in which the President has declared that a major 
     disaster exists in accordance with section 401 of the Robert 
     T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 
     U.S.C. 5170), related to severe storms, tornadoes, or 
     flooding in the

[[Page H8526]]

     Midwest or hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico in calendar year 
     2008, the amount made available for such local educational 
     agency under each of sections 1124, 1124A, 1125, and 1125A of 
     the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
     6333, 6334, 6335, and 6337) for fiscal year 2009 shall be not 
     less than the amount made available for such local 
     educational agency under each of such sections for fiscal 
     year 2008.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
California (Mrs. Davis) and the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Boustany) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from California.


                             General Leave

  Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I request 5 legislative days 
during which Members may revise and extend their remarks and insert 
extraneous material into the Record on H.R. 6890.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mrs. DAVIS of California. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 6890 which will aid 
schools affected by Hurricanes Gustav, Ike, Katrina, and Rita in 
addition to those impacted by this summer's flooding in the Midwest.
  This August marked the third year since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita 
struck the gulf coast. People lost their homes, their livelihoods, and 
their family members. Entire towns were leveled and cities emptied. 
While in the past 3 years, the affected States have made great strides 
towards normalcy, many school districts, many school districts still 
struggle to deal with the loss of students, teachers, facilities, and 
funding.
  And only a few weeks ago, Hurricanes Gustav and Ike hit the still-
recovering region causing an incredible amount of damage to its 
communities, the extent of which has yet to be fully realized. Many 
students are not yet back in their homes. Many schools were destroyed 
by the storms or by flooding. Many teachers have not yet returned, and 
much of the affected States' resources have gone to addressing other 
recovery needs.
  It is not surprising that as a result of storms like these, school 
budgets are stretched thin and students' education suffers.
  As part of the Hurricane Education Recovery Act of 2005, Congress 
granted the Secretary of Education the authority to waive several 
requirements in order to ease fiscal burdens on the States where a 
major disaster had been declared. These provisions have proved useful 
to all States affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita with Alabama, 
Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas all applying for and receiving 
waivers.
  This bill extends the waivers allowing Restart programs to be more 
flexible with their fiscal resources. It will allow schools in the 
affected regions to continue on their road to recovery by devoting 
funds to their most pressing needs so that they can better serve 
students who have been through so much in the past few years.
  This bill also guarantees that schools affected by the most recent 
storms and flooding will maintain the same level of funding under 
Federal grant programs in the 2009 and 2010 school year as they 
received for the current school year. By allowing school districts to 
maintain their previous level of funding for the next year, this 
provision allows them to rebuild and prepare for the return of their 
students without having to deal with the additional challenge of 
reduced resources.
  It reassures families that when they do return to their homes, their 
children's education will not suffer. By bringing students and families 
back to the region, it's an important step in helping those devastated 
areas recover and become vibrant communities once more.
  Mr. Speaker, once again, I urge the adoption of H.R. 6890.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I rise today in support of H.R. 6890 which would extend the authority 
of the Secretary of Education to waive certain requirements for those 
States impacted by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The legislation would 
also ensure that those school districts that experienced widespread 
damage by the severe storms, tornadoes, or flooding in the Midwest or 
hurricanes in the gulf coast receive the same amount of funding under 
the title I program as they did last year.
  I want to thank my fellow members of the Louisiana delegation for 
working with me in introducing this bill and their ongoing work 
alongside with me to assist those impacted by the devastating natural 
disasters that have hit the gulf coast as well as the Midwest.
  Mr. Speaker, the events over the past month when Hurricane Ike hit 
the Texas and Louisiana coast and Hurricane Gustav hit the Louisiana 
coast remind us of the damaging impact that natural disasters have on 
our Nation's residents and their local communities. As thousands of 
residents return to their homes and towns, they'll need help in 
rebuilding their houses and their livelihoods. Local elementary and 
secondary schools--both public and private--will need help in replacing 
textbooks and other instructional materials so that students can get 
back to learning and a little bit of normalcy.
  Just over 3 years ago, our Nation experienced one of the worst 
disasters in our history when Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated 
Louisiana and the Mississippi gulf coast. More than 1,100 public and 
private schools were forced to close, and approximately 158,000 
students were displaced as a direct result of the hurricanes. The loss 
of business and government infrastructure, jobs, and housing deprived 
school districts of local property taxes that normally fund school 
operations.
  In the Midwest, we know that the massive flooding experienced over 
the summer in Iowa and recently in Illinois has devastated local 
communities and schools. Louisiana and Texas are still assessing the 
damage done as a result of Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, but the initial 
assessments paint a grim picture.
  In the aftermath of these natural disasters, Congress should assist 
those public and private elementary, middle, and high schools that are 
struggling to re-open and re-enroll students for families returning to 
these devastated areas.
  In 2006, we provided funds to States and public and private schools 
in the gulf region impacted by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita to replace 
instructional materials, recover student and personnel data systems, 
and other important services to get schools back up and running. We 
also guaranteed that those school districts in the gulf coast receive 
the same amount of funding under the title I program for fiscal year 
2006 as they received for fiscal year 2005.
  We provided the Secretary of Education with limited authority to 
waive certain financial requirements to ensure that those states that 
were heavily impacted by the destruction could use several funds to 
meet their financial commitments. These waivers have proven critical to 
the recovery of schools in several impacted areas and enabled them to 
access much-needed reconstruction funds.
  The bill we have before us today, H.R. 6890, would extend this 
temporary authority for another fiscal year through September 30, 2009.
  As we continue to assess the damage in the Midwest and along the gulf 
coast, similar to the assistance provided back in 2006, H.R. 6890 also 
guarantees that those school districts in the Midwest impacted by 
flooding and the gulf coast impacted by Hurricanes Gustav and Ike 
receive the same amount of funding under the title I program for this 
upcoming school year as they received for the last school year.
  I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 6890. I'm thankful to the 
committee and to the gentlelady from California for bringing this 
resolution to the floor.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, and I 
continue to reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I urge the adoption of H.R. 
6890, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Clay). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Davis) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 6890, as amended.

[[Page H8527]]

  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  The title was amended so as to read: ``A bill to extend the waiver 
authority for the Secretary of Education under section 105 of subtitle 
A of title IV of division B of Public Law 109-148, relating to 
elementary and secondary education hurricane recovery relief, and for 
other purposes.''.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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