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In the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, several laws were passed to aid students and workers affected by the storms. Though a wide-range of bills have been introduced in Congress to provide additional aid, only three bills have become law.
In late September, President Bush signed two bills into law: the "Pell Grant Hurricane and Disaster Relief Act" (P.L. 109-066) and the "Student Grant Hurricane and Disaster Relief Act" (P.L. 109-067). Both bills amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to authorize the Secretary of Education to waive certain requirements for repayment of federal Pell Grants and federal student grant assistance by students, if:
- They were residing in, employed in, or attending an institution of higher education located in a major disaster area;
- Their attendance was interrupted because of the disaster's impact on the institution; and
- Their withdrawal ended within the academic year during which the major disaster designation occurred or during the next succeeding academic year.
On September 30, 2005, President Bush signed into law the "Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities Affected by Hurricane Katrina or Rita Act of 2005" (P.L. 109-82). This bill does several things, including:
- Provides vocational rehabilitation services to individuals with disabilities affected by Hurricane Katrina or Hurricane Rita;
- Directs the Commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration in re-allotting funding amounts to states under certain provisions of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (RA) to give preference to affected states that contain an area or that received a significant number of individuals who resided in an area in which the President has declared that a major disaster exists;
- Authorizes waiver of nonfederal funding share (state and local) requirements in specified circumstances; and
- Allows an affected state to use such re-allotted funds for FY2005 to: (1) pay for vocational rehabilitation services for such individuals that contribute to economic growth and development of communities; (2) enable such individuals to participate in reconstruction or other major disaster assistance activities in the areas in which the individuals resided on certain dates; (3) pay for vocational rehabilitation services for such individuals who do not meet the affected state's order of selection criteria under RA; or (4) carry out other activities in accordance with title I of the Rehabilitation Act.
For additional information about the federal government's activities for students and schools in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, please visit the U.S. Department of Education's "Hurricane Help for Students" Web site at http://hurricanehelpforschools.gov/index.html. The House Education and the Workforce Committee has developed a Web site with information and resources on hurricane assistance for K-12 students and schools, higher education students and schools, families and communities, and workers and retirees which can be found at http://edworkforce.house.gov/issues/109th/hurricane/hurricane.htm. For further information, please contact Neil Snyder, ASHA's Director of Federal Advocacy, via e-mail at nsnyder@asha.org or by phone at 800-498-2071, ext. 4257.
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