[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 16]
[Senate]
[Page 21971]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               NATURAL DISASTER STUDENT AID FAIRNESS ACT

  Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of H.R. 3863, which was received 
from the House.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (H.R. 3863) to provide the Secretary of Education 
     with waiver authority for the reallocation rules in the 
     Campus-Based Aid programs, and to extend the deadline by 
     which funds have to be reallocated to institutions of higher 
     education due to a natural disaster.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
  Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, I rise today to encourage my colleagues to 
pass H.R. 3863, which would provide the Secretary of Education with the 
authority to reallocate campus-based aid program funds to institutions 
of higher education that have been affected by Hurricane Katrina or 
Hurricane Rita, or that have enrolled affected students. The bill also 
extends the deadline by which funds have to be reallocated, as they are 
currently scheduled to expire on September 30.
  In addition, this bill automatically waives institutional matching 
requirements for the Federal work-study, supplemental educational 
opportunity grant and Perkins loan funds for affected institutions that 
participate in these programs in the 2005-2006 academic year. As a 
result, affected institutions that have scarce resources will be able 
provide immediate assistance to their eligible students to enable them 
to meet their higher education expenses this year.
  I am pleased that we are able to take this step to assist 
institutions and students that have been affected by the gulf 
hurricanes by redirecting program funds that would otherwise lapse. We 
continue to explore other ways in which to meet the immediate needs of 
affected institutions of higher education and their students.
  Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be 
read a third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid on the 
table, and that any statements relating to the bill be printed in the 
Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The bill (H.R. 3863) was read a third time, and passed.

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