[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 154 (Tuesday, September 26, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6142-S6143]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HURRICANES HARVEY, IRMA, AND MARIA EDUCATION RELIEF ACT OF 2017
Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I would like to address a bill that was
actually recommended to me by the chairman of the Health, Education,
Labor, and Pensions Committee, Senator Alexander. I appreciate his
bringing this matter to my attention. I will explain what it does in a
moment.
Basically, it deals with the educational impact of hurricanes on our
population, whether they be in Texas, whether they be in Florida, or
whether they be in Puerto Rico. I think it is important, as the
Presiding Officer knows in his having been to Puerto Rico recently,
that we deal with all of these hurricanes and their aftermaths in a
similar and combined and joint fashion.
This legislation is called the Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria
Education Relief Act of 2017, and it has three vital hurricane relief-
related purposes.
First, it provides the Secretary of Education with the authority to
waive Federal matching requirements for two campus-based aid programs
under the Higher Education Act. First is the Federal Supplemental
Educational Opportunity Grant Program. Second is the Federal Work-Study
Program. Notably, in my State, 18 campuses of higher education will be
eligible for the waiver of Federal matching requirements. If not passed
before September 30, which is on Saturday, if I am not mistaken, these
matching funds will no longer be available. So this is a rare window of
opportunity for us. As I said, this waiver of authority and relief was
also done following Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Sandy, I believe.
No. 2, the bill requires the Secretary to reallocate any remaining
supplemental educational opportunity grant or Federal work study funds
from the 2016 and 2017 award years to colleges and universities located
in hurricane-impacted areas. Currently, this second amount totals $17.5
million, and if it is not used by the end of September, like these
matching funds, it will no longer be available. These funds provide
financial aid to students who have been harmed by the hurricanes at
those schools.
Finally, the third thing this bill will do is restore the equitable
distribution to all schools in the Project School Emergency Response to
Violence Program.
These grants go to schools to assist recovery following a crisis.
They can be used for a wide variety of activities, including mental
health assessments, emergency transportation needs, and increased costs
for teacher overtime. My State alone can be expected to submit
applications for this funding next week, and over 14,000 campuses would
be eligible. Obviously, given the limited funds, not all of them will
receive the maximum they could, but the point is, this is a widely
needed and important source of funds for those 14,000 campuses in Texas
alone. Previously, Louisiana, New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut all
received these funds after Katrina and Sandy.
Colleagues, Congress needs to act or we will forgo our opportunity to
use all three categories of these funds since, as I said, the time
expires next Saturday.
When so many people in my home State of Texas and States such as
Louisiana and Florida and places such as Puerto Rico are dealing with
the aftermath of devastating hurricanes, we cannot allow this
opportunity to go to waste.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the
immediate consideration of S. 1866, introduced earlier today.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
A bill (S. 1866) to provide the Secretary of Education with
waiver authority for the reallocation rules and authority to
extend the deadline by which funds have to be reallocated in
the campus-based aid programs under the Higher Education Act
of 1965 due to Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Irma, and
Hurricane Maria, to provide equitable services to children
and teachers in private schools, and for other purposes.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be
considered read a third time and passed and the motion to reconsider be
considered made and laid upon the table.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The bill (S. 1866) was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading,
was read the third time, and passed, as follows:
S. 1866
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 ``Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and
Maria Education Relief Act of 2017''.
SEC. 2. ALLOCATION AND USE OF CAMPUS-BASED HIGHER EDUCATION
ASSISTANCE.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Affected area.--The term ``affected area'' means an
area for which the President declared a major disaster or an
emergency under section 401 or 501, respectively, of the
Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance
Act (42 U.S.C. 5170 and 5191) as a result of Hurricane
Harvey, Hurricane Irma, Hurricane Maria, Tropical Storm
Harvey, Tropical Storm Irma, or Tropical Storm Maria.
(2) Affected student.--The term ``affected student'' means
an individual who has applied for or received student
financial assistance under title IV of the Higher Education
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070 et seq.), and who--
(A) was enrolled or accepted for enrollment on August 25,
2017, at an institution of higher education that is located
in an affected area;
(B) is a dependent student who was enrolled or accepted for
enrollment on August 25, 2017, at an institution of higher
education that is not located in an affected area, but whose
parent or parents resided or was employed on August 25, 2017,
in an affected area; or
(C) suffered direct economic hardship as a direct result of
Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Irma, Hurricane Maria, Tropical
Storm Harvey, Tropical Storm Irma, or Tropical Storm Maria,
as determined by the Secretary.
(3) Institution of higher education.--The term
``institution of higher education'' has the meaning given the
term in section 102 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 1002).
(4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Education.
(b) Waivers.--
(1) Waiver of non-federal share requirement.--
Notwithstanding sections 413C(a)(2) and 443(b)(5) of the
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070b-2(a)(2) and
1087-53(b)(5)), with respect to funds made available for
award years 2016-2017 and 2017-2018--
(A) in the case of an institution of higher education that
is located in an affected area, the Secretary shall waive the
requirement that a participating institution of higher
education provide a non-Federal share to match Federal funds
provided to the institution for the programs authorized
pursuant to subpart 3 of part A and part C of title IV of the
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070b et seq. and
1087-51 et seq.); and
(B) in the case of an institution of higher education that
is not located in an affected area but has enrolled or
accepted for enrollment any affected students, the Secretary
may waive the non-Federal share requirement described in
subparagraph (A) after considering the institution's student
population and existing resources.
(2) Waiver of reallocation rules.--
(A) Authority to reallocate.--Notwithstanding sections
413D(d) and 442(d) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 1070b-3(d) and 1087-52(d)), the Secretary shall--
(i) reallocate any funds returned under such section 413D
or 442 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 that were
allocated to institutions of higher education for award year
2016-2017 to an institution of higher education that is
eligible under subparagraph (B); and
(ii) waive the allocation reduction for award year 2018-
2019 for an institution of higher education that is eligible
under subparagraph (B) returning more than 10 percent of its
allocation under such section 413D or 442 of the Higher
Education Act of 1965 for award year 2017-2018.
(B) Institutions eligible for reallocation.--An institution
of higher education is eligible under this subparagraph if
the institution--
(i) participates in the program for which excess
allocations are being reallocated; and
(ii)(I) is located in an affected area; or
[[Page S6143]]
(II) has enrolled or accepted for enrollment any affected
students in award year 2017-2018.
(C) Basis of reallocation.--The Secretary shall--
(i) determine the manner in which excess allocations will
be reallocated pursuant to this paragraph; and
(ii) give preference in making reallocations to the needs
of institutions of higher education located in an affected
area.
(D) Additional waiver authority.--Notwithstanding any other
provision of law, in order to carry out this paragraph, the
Secretary may waive or modify any statutory or regulatory
provision relating to the reallocation of excess allocations
under subpart 3 of part A or part C of title IV of the Higher
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070b et seq. and 1087-51 et
seq.) in order to ensure that assistance is received by
institutions of higher education that are eligible under
subparagraph (B).
(3) Availability of funds date extension.--Notwithstanding
any other provision of law--
(A) any funds available to the Secretary under sections
413A and 441 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
1070b and 1087-51) for which the period of availability would
otherwise expire on September 30, 2017, shall be available
for obligation by the Secretary until September 30, 2018, for
the purposes of the programs authorized pursuant to subpart 3
of part A and part C of title IV of the Higher Education Act
of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070b et seq. and 1087-51 et seq.); and
(B) the Secretary may recall any funds allocated to an
institution of higher education for award year 2016-2017
under section 413D or 442 of the Higher Education Act of 1965
(20 U.S.C. 1070b-3 and 1087-52), that, if not returned to the
Secretary as excess allocations pursuant to either of those
sections, would otherwise lapse on September 30, 2017, and
reallocate those funds in accordance with paragraph (2)(A).
(c) Emergency Requirement.--This section is designated as
an emergency requirement pursuant to section 4(g) of the
Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010 (title I of Public Law
111-139; 2 U.S.C. 933(g)).
(d) Report.--Not later than October 1, 2018, the Secretary
shall submit to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor,
and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on Education and
the Workforce of the House of Representatives information
on--
(1) the total volume of assistance received by each
eligible institution of higher education under subsection
(b)(2); and
(2) the total volume of the non-Federal share waived for
each institution of higher education under subsection (b)(1).
(e) Sunset.--The provisions of subsection (b) shall cease
to be effective on September 30, 2018.
SEC. 3. PROJECT SERV AND EQUITABLE SERVICES FOR CHILDREN AND
TEACHERS IN PRIVATE SCHOOLS.
Section 8501(b)(1) of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7881(b)(1)) is amended--
(1) in subparagraph (D), by striking ``and'';
(2) in subparagraph (E), by striking the period at the end
and inserting ``; and''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(F) section 4631, with regard to Project SERV.''.
____________________