A bill to extend the deadline for Social Services Block Grant expenditures of supplemental funds appropriated following disasters occurring in 2008.

I thank the distinguished gentleman, and particularly, I thank the Ways and Means Committee, both the managers on the floor today, Mr. McDermott and Ms. Brown-Waite, for their leadership, and I thank the entire Texas delegation and as well my good friend Mr. Olson, who I know will be appearing on the floor, for his leadership, along with Mr. Cornyn.

We worked together. This is a bipartisan effort and I am glad to be on the floor because we tried to do this on September 29, and I don't think we made our story clear. This is not a Texas issue. In fact, this issue impacts all of the disasters that occurred in 2008, and I would like to, Mr. Speaker, simply call some of the names: The State of Colorado, the State of Florida, Georgia, Illinois, the State of Iowa, the State of Mississippi, the State of Missouri, the States of Nevada, Oklahoma, Texas, and West Virginia, among the many that did not get a chance to help the desperate.

And so I'd like to particularly thank today, in addition to the members of the Texas delegation, Majority Leader Hoyer, who continued to work with us and to ensure that we can move this as quickly as possible; and his staff, Terry Lierman and Austin Burnes, who also worked closely with my staff, Yohannes Tsehai and Shashrina Thomas, to bring this to the floor along with my colleagues.

Thousands of families who were victims of Hurricane Ike stopped receiving SSBG funds September 30, 2010, because the legislatively mandated deadline for these funds expired. We made and I made concerted efforts with the Department of Health and Human Services, and I would like to introduce into the Record a letter written by my office on September 21, 2010, as well as a letter written back from the Secretary of Health and Human Services, October 1, 2010, from which I read this sentence: ``As soon as Congress restores the availability of Hurricane Ike SSBG funding, we will work expeditiously to implement the legislation and make the funds available to those doing the important work of assisting victims rebuild their lives.''

There lies the story, Mr. Speaker. Rebuilding lives. For those of us who walked the streets after Hurricane Ike and for the many Members of Congress who walked the streets of their respective disasters, we know what disasters are all about. Not bricks and mortar. Disasters are about the human devastation that faces individuals, lost and lonely, not knowing where to go.

Hurricane Ike was the third-costliest hurricane ever to make landfall in the United States. Ike made its final landfall near Galveston, Texas, a strong Category 2 hurricane with a Category 5 equivalent storm surge. It devastated the island, but it also impacted Houston and my congressional district. It was a huge hurricane, some 500 miles across, making it nearly as big as Texas itself, and its hurricane-force winds extended 120 miles from the center. It was blamed for at least 195 deaths overall, with substantial death and injury in Texas.

The hurricane also resulted in the largest evacuation of Texas in the State's history. An estimated 100,000 homes were flooded in Texas, numerous boats washed away, smashing and flooding homes, knocking out windows, cutting electricity to an estimated 2.8 million to 4.5 million. Most of the people were devastated because the electricity went out for almost 8 weeks. And they were individuals without the ability to go to work and their jobs were cut off. So these dollars will not be misused.

The important point of this legislation is, there is a PAYGO provision in it. It will not spend more money. It will only have the opportunity to use the dollars that are already there. For those of us who have faced disaster, whether it is Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Rita, the floods in the Midwest, or the various tornadoes that occur throughout our area, or the hurricanes that seem to come every year to the gulf region, I can assure you that these dollars are coming none too soon.

I want to thank the administration's Secretary Sebelius who has indicated that they will move quickly. As this bill passes, we hope that this will move quickly to the President's desk, the bill is signed, and these moneys will come forward.

Let me acknowledge the groups that we have worked with: Angela Blanchard of the Neighborhood Centers; Harold Fattig of Catholic Charities; Mr. Raimer of the University of Texas Medical Branch; Mark Minick of Lutheran Social Services; Kristi Allen, Bay Area Council; Stephanie Carmona, Sunshine Center; United Way, Anna Babin; Kenna Bush, United Way of Galveston; Carolyn Rose of the Gulf Coast Center; Joe Compian, Gulf Coast Interfaith; Galveston County Food Bank, Mark Davis; Cindy Schulz; and a very strong worker in Ruama Camp, who worked throughout the area with people who could find no way themselves.

So this money will come and help those who are in need of these dollars posthaste. It extends the deadline until September 30, 2011. The bill does not appropriate new funds, as I indicated; and as you well know, they've extended this in years past with Katrina and Rita.

It's a terrible shame to say that people who need help are those who are costing us money. Today, Mr. Speaker, they're not costing us money. We're helping those who are hardworking Americans. I'm delighted to be able to support this legislation. I ask my colleagues to do it. Never forget, we have a role of being a good Samaritan. If you were in need, you would want help. I ask my colleagues to support this legislation.

House of Representatives,

Washington, DC, September 21, 2010.

Hon. Kathleen Sebelius,

Secretary, Department of Health and Human Services,

Washington, DC.

Dear Secretary Sebelius: In early 2009, in the aftermath of

Hurricane Ike, the State of Texas received $219 million in

recovery funds under the Social Services Block Grant (SSBG)

program from the Department of Health and Human Services

(HHS). As you know under federal law, if these grant funds

are not spent by September 30, 2010, these funds will be

permanently returned to the federal treasury.

Hurricane Ike has wreaked havoc on Texas, particularly in

Galveston and Houston. As we move forward with recovery

efforts, it is clear that the impact of this storm has been

widespread and many people are still in need of assistance.

Unfortunately, Texans are still in need of help, especially

the neglected residents of North Galveston. More than 60

Americans and over 26 Texans have died as a result of

Hurricane Ike. In addition, the hurricane has caused millions

of dollars in damage throughout Houston and Galveston. The

local agencies processing the people impacted by Hurricane

Ike for which these funds were utilized, received these funds

from the state and federal agencies six months late, and

therefore have not been able to complete the process of

serving the families impacted by Hurricane Ike. Losing these

funds on September 30, 2010 will result in the terrible

tragedy for the many people that are still suffering from the

effect of one of the most costliest hurricanes in our region.

Therefore, I am requesting an extension of an additional six

months from September 30, 2010, for social services agencies

throughout the State of Texas to utilize these grant funds.

Once again, I ask that you strongly consider extending the

deadline for the $219 million in recovery funds under SSBG

for an additional six months from September 30, 2010. I have

the support of my Congressional colleagues from Texas in my

efforts to ensure that Houston and Texas receive the funds we

so desperately need on the road to recovery. Thank you for

your consideration to this urgent matter.

Very truly yours,

Sheila Jackson Lee,

Member of Congress.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 3774, which would extend the deadline for Social Services Block Grant expenditures of supplemental funds appropriated following disasters occurring in 2008.

The FY2009 Supplemental Appropriation included funding for disasters that occurred in 2008. This included $600 million in Social Services Block Grant (SSBG) funding eligible to be used for a wide variety of social services to assist in disaster recovery.

In the wake of Hurricane Ike, a total of 734,000 Texans had registered with FEMA for individual assistance and 17,000 homes in Harris County were destroyed.

Due to the magnitude of Ike, the State of Texas received $219 million in recovery funds under the Social Services Block Grant program from the Department of Health and Human Services.

Under federal law, these SSBG funds must be spent by September 30, 2010. Any money not spent by that time must be returned to the federal Treasury. Texas currently has $44 million in funding that will revert back to the federal government.

Many entities and local governments in Texas have expressed difficulty in meeting the September 30, 2010 deadline and are requesting a one year extension to September 30, 2011.

Although there have been significant successes through the recovery process, significant needs remain. In the Greater Houston area, more than 2,500 families in case management still cite needs in the area of home repair and/or unmet needs.

It is important to note that Texas is not the only state that would lose access to these funds--16 other states have remaining funds and an extension would assist those states as well.

A similar extension was granted by Congress for Hurricane Katrina SSBG disaster recovery funds. It is also important to note that this bill involves no new spending. The SSBG grant funds were released and dispersed to the states over a year ago. This bill will only give those who need it, extra time to expend these needed funds as they continue to recover from Hurricane Ike.

Senator Cornyn's legislation, S. 3774, passed out of the Senate on a unanimous consent. It would extend the deadline for Social Services Block Grant expenditures of supplemental funds appropriated following disasters occurring in 2008 for one year from September 30, 2010 to September 30, 2011.

Before the House recessed on September 29 we tried to bring up this legislation, but it came over from the Senate very late and we were unable to come to an agreement to bring up the legislation.

I urge my colleagues to support this legislation to allow the states impacted by disasters that occurred in 2008.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 3774) to extend the deadline for Social Services Block Grant expenditures of supplemental funds appropriated following disasters occurring in 2008.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on S. 3774.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of S. 3774, which extends the deadline for the use of supplemental social service block grant funds, also known as SSBG, that were made available following the disasters that occurred in 2008.

This extension would provide a 1-year extension for the use of supplemental SSBG grant funds that were appropriated in the Disaster Assistance and Continuing Appropriation Act of 2009 in response to the natural disasters that occurred in 2008. The legislation provided $600 million for disaster recovery for States affected by hurricane, floods, and other natural disasters that occurred in the year 2008.

Over 60 percent of the money that was appropriated has been spent, leaving a great deal of funding available to address the ongoing needs in States that have been adversely affected by natural disasters. While a number of States have been successful in quickly drawing down the funds that were available to support disaster cleanup, many others need additional time to utilize the resources effectively.

The legislation follows a precedent that was established by the Congress in recent years when we acted to extend the availability of supplemental SSBG funds that were appropriated for the recovery efforts following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. These funds were extended for a 2-year period to allow additional time for affected States to make use of these resources.

Additionally, the legislation is PAYGO compliant and will not add one dime to the Federal deficit. The funding has already been allocated. The bill simply makes the appropriation available for an additional year.

The legislation, which passed the Senate in late September by unanimous consent, is very similar to a bill

that was introduced in the House by Representative Pete Olson that has bipartisan support. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting S. 3774.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).

Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

I thank my colleague from Florida.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of Senate bill 3774. I introduced companion legislation, H.R. 5790, which would do the same thing as this good bill. Two years ago, Hurricane Ike tore through the Gulf of Mexico and made landfall in Galveston, Texas. It was the largest hurricane ever, ever to make landfall in the United States. Ike slammed into Galveston as a Category 2 hurricane but with a storm surge equivalent to that of a Category 4 storm, causing damages estimated at $18 billion. Over 200 people lost their lives.

Two years later, what Ike destroyed in 12 hours continues to be rebuilt. In response to the storm, an emergency appropriations bill was passed for the purpose of assisting the victims of Ike. The funding came with a deadline that the State of Texas and the local communities now need extended. This is

not without precedent. A similar extension was granted for victims of Hurricane Katrina.

In the process of recovering from Ike, please consider that Catholic Charities reports that there are over 3,500 families in Galveston who are in the process of getting their homes repaired or replaced who still need rent assistance. The Gulf Coast Center in Galveston and Brazoria Counties is working with 19 agencies to provide mental health support and counseling to 3,000 clients each month who are still suffering from the impact of Hurricane Ike on their lives. The University of Texas Medical Branch reports that they are providing food assistance, medical care, and case management to 20,000 households each month. This will end without an extension.

In the words of one leader at the United Way, ``We are not asking to access more funding, only to finish what we started.'' Do I wish this extension was not needed? Of course. We all do. But it is needed, and I ask that this Chamber join me in doing what is right and fair for a community that lost so much 2 years ago. I urge my colleagues to vote for Senate bill 3774, so the people of southeast Texas can finally put Hurricane Ike in their past.

Mr. Speaker, the gentleman on the other side very aptly summarized what this bill does so I will not repeat that.

In my home State of Florida, according to State officials, more time for this appropriation is absolutely vital but we're not alone. The latest HHS data suggests another 15 States had unexpended funds. Just like in Florida, residents of those States affected by the 2008 natural disasters stand to benefit from the additional flexibility resulting from this legislation.

Significantly, the Congressional Budget Office says that the bill will not add to the deficit. It would simply change the timing for the spending already approved of these funds. It is also important to note that this same sort of flexibility had previously been granted for recovery funds in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. So it makes sense to provide similar treatment for funds provided in the wake of the 2008 natural disasters, and I'm very pleased to support this legislation that will accomplish that.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Olson) who was forward-thinking enough to introduce this legislation to begin with.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time. And with that, I would ask for support of this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.