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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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. Speaker, I thank my colleague, and I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I urge the adoption of H.R. 6890, and 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. 6890, which was received from the House.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be read three times and passed, the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate, and any statements related to the bill be printed in the Record.