Douglas Alexander: “Hurricane Katrina displaced more than 1 million people, at least 20 times more than in any other disaster handled by the…”

“Hurricane Katrina displaced more than 1 million people, at least 20 times more than in any other disaster handled by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and 372,000 of those displaced by Katrina are school-aged children, in kindergarten through the 12th grade. According to the U.S. Department of Education, schools in 49 States and the District of Columbia have opened their doors to help these children. The legislation that Senators Enzi, Kennedy, Dodd and I introduce today will help all of Katrina's 372,000 displaced school children. Katrina did not discriminate among school children, and neither do we. We propose providing up to $6,000 per student during this school year to help States, school districts and schools defray the costs of receiving any child displaced by Katrina. In the case of children with disabilities, the maximum amount will be $7,500 per student. This legislation will help children attending both public and nonpublic schools. Our bill is temporary, one time impact aid, makes no permanent change Federal education laws and will not be extended after this school year. It minimizes costs by making payments quarterly, taking into account the fact that during the year many children are returning to their home communities. It also requires the Secretary of Education to verify head counts of students eligible for aid, and the States must return to the U.S. Treasury any unused funds.…”