To extend the waiver authority for the Secretary of Education under title IV, section 105, of Public Law 109-148.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6106) to extend the waiver authority for the Secretary of Education under title IV, section 105, of Public Law 109-148.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this important legislation. It is in response to the devastating Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the impact they had on the schools of Louisiana.

More than 1,100 public and private schools were forced to close in the wake of those hurricanes. Approximately 158,000 students were displaced as a direct result of the hurricanes. Restoration efforts are under way, but there is still much work that needs to be done.

As a result of the storms and the flooding, the local tax base in several gulf coast communities was decimated. The loss of business and government infrastructure, jobs and housing deprived school districts of local property taxes that normally fund school operations.

In Louisiana, Orleans and St. Bernard Parishes were the most severely impacted by Hurricane Katrina. Currently, approximately 23,000 students are enrolled in the Orleans Parish School System and Recovery School

District. That is compared to an original enrollment of 62,000 students prior to the hurricanes.

In St. Bernard Parish, only 3,300 students have returned out of a total of 8,400 before the hurricane.

The Hurricane Education Recovery Act, included in the Defense Appropriations Act of 2006, granted the U.S. Secretary of Education the authority to waive, in many of the programs falling under her jurisdiction, select provisions having to do with the State or school district's financial commitment.

Under ordinary times, these provisions require States and local districts to contribute sufficient local and State funding to receive Federal aid. However, when communities have decimated and local funding is unavailable, these provisions can place much-needed Federal aid in jeopardy.

The Secretary's authority to grant this waiver was critical to ease the burdens on State and local educational agencies in the gulf coast region. Through this language, the Secretary granted waivers for fiscal year 2006 that provided Louisiana school districts the flexibility they needed to begin the recovery process.

These waivers have proven critical to the recovery of our schools in several parishes and counties in the impacted areas. Unfortunately, the waiver authority is set to expire on September 30 of this year, even though families continue to return to the area and there are schools in need of rebuilding.

This bill will extend this critical waiver authority for one more year through fiscal year 2007. By extending this authority, it will provide districts the flexibility they need to continue moving students and teachers back into classrooms.

Under the Hurricane Education Recovery Act, the Orleans Parish schools received $132 million in restart funding, and St. Bernard Parish has received $21 million. Without this waiver, the schools would not have the flexibility they need to use these funds.

These districts are facing the tremendous challenge of rebuilding a school district while continuing to operate at the same time, akin to changing a tire on your car while driving it. Without this waiver authority, these districts will not receive the resources to replace textbooks, library books, computers, instructional materials, and other supplies lost during the storm.

I urge swift passage of this legislation to grant an additional year of flexibility and the use of Federal dollars to rebuild schools for Louisiana and gulf coast children.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I first want to thank the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott) not only for his support of our legislation but for taking the time personally to visit my State after it was devastated by these storms, to visit personally with our teachers, principals and students and see for himself the needs of our State, and for his continuing hard work to try to address those needs through our committee. I appreciate his commitment to helping my State recover and our students return to school.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Scott is correct. There are several Members from Louisiana, indeed the entire delegation, that supports this legislation. I especially want to mention in addition, to Mr. Melancon and Mr. Jefferson, Mr. Boustany, who has several schools in his district that were also impacted by Hurricane Rita in particular. I urge swift passage of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I am here today to urge Congress to pass H.R. 6106. This waiver authority has been a key component in the success of rebuilding schools in the areas devastated by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and it is critical that we act immediately to extend the duration of this authority in order to allow these schools to continue their rebuilding efforts.

A real success story born from this waiver is the St. Bernard Unified School Group. Led by the efforts of Superintendent Doris Voitier and others committed in St. Bernard, this combined school was able to quickly start back up to provide a place for children whose parents were committed to coming home and rebuilding.

St. Bernard Parish was one of the most devastated regions affected by Hurricane Katrina. Without local revenue, the schools had to look elsewhere to meet the 10 percent match required by FEMA.

This waiver has allowed the school district to use State funds for the 10 percent match and use federal restart funds to pay teacher's salaries and benefits. By allowing this flexibility, Superintendent Voitier was able to secure teacher's employment and open up the St. Bernard Unified School 11 weeks after the storm.

Today, there is no longer need for the St. Bernard Unified School. Chalmett High is back up and running full capacity with 1700 students to date; Andrew Jackson Elementary, with 1800 students, has also opened its doors, and Tryst Elementary is next in line.

However, we can't stop here. There are many more schools that are still being rebuilt and we need this legislation to ensure that these schools continue to reopen.

This waiver has proven critical to the recovery of schools in the Gulf Coast region, and has enabled them to access much needed reconstruction funds. Without this extension, these school systems will not have the financial resources to operate nor rebuild.

This waiver authority has already been authorized by Congress in the Hurricane Education Recovery Act. Unfortunately it is set to expire this Saturday. It is imperative that we reauthorize this waiver. Hurricane recovery has reached a critical stage, and it needs our continued support in the Gulf Coast.

Families are continuing every day to return home to these areas and there are still schools that are in need of rebuilding and repair. Therefore, I urge the members of Congress to support this bi-partisan legislation and give these schools the flexibility that Superintendent Voitier and others need to continue their dedicated efforts in rebuilding and to make sure that students and teachers can return to the classroom.

Brief Summary of what waiver does:

FEMA requires that each local community put up a 10 percent match in order to get 90 percent reimbursed for replacing all items lost in the storm.

Two Problems; (1) 10 percent of the total damage is tens of millions of dollars and (2) St. Bernard schools can't raise this money from the local community because their sales and property tax base has been decimated.

So, they initially wanted to use federal restart monies to put up the 10 percent match. However this is prohibited in the Stafford Act because you can't use federal restart monies to supplant money from

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6106.

As the gentleman from Louisiana just mentioned, over a year ago our Nation experienced one of the worst natural disasters in our history when Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated southeast Louisiana and parts of Mississippi. He mentioned that public and private schools were forced to close, and over 150,000 students were displaced as a direct result of those hurricanes.

Last year, the Hurricane Education Recovery Act was enacted. It authorized the U.S. Secretary of Education to waive selected portions of general education law having to do with State or school district use of Federal funds.

Unfortunately, the waiver is set to expire on September 30, even though the families continue to return to the area and their schools are in need of rebuilding. The waiver is critical because it allows school systems the flexibility to use available Federal funds for the most critical needs. Without the waiver, they would have funding for just about everything they need except those critical immediate needs required to reopen the schools. Without the waiver, they won't be able to spend the money for those critical needs. This waiver has worked well and just needs to be extended.

On September 19, just a few days ago, H.R. 6106 to extend the waiver authority for the Secretary of Education was introduced by the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Jindal). This legislation is a straightforward extension of the Secretary of Education's waiver authority for an additional fiscal year through 2007.

This bill would not have been possible without the hard work of not only the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Jindal) but his Louisiana colleagues, Mr. Melancon and Mr. Jefferson on this side, and I am sure there are others he might want to mention.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to help Louisiana continue their recovery effort by supporting the passage of H.R. 6106.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H.R. 6106, which was received from the House.

I ask unanimous consent that the bill be read the third time and passed, a motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and any statements relating to the bill be printed in the Record.