William H. Frist: “this afternoon, the Senate passed the Commerce, Justice, and Science appropriations bill with overwhelming bipartisan…”

“this afternoon, the Senate passed the Commerce, Justice, and Science appropriations bill with overwhelming bipartisan support. I want to thank my colleagues for their tremendous work on this legislation. This appropriations bill funds critical Government functions and includes significant Katrina-related measures. Earlier this afternoon, I had the opportunity to thank both Senators Shelby and Mikulski for their great leadership on this bill. There was a fair amount of juggling in terms of scheduling, given the fact that the Judiciary hearings were underway. Everybody showed good patience, and we produced a very good bill. More than 350,000 families have been made homeless by the disaster that has unfolded over the last 2 weeks. The bill we passed today provides Federal housing assistance of up to $600 per family per month for up to 6 months to help those families get back on their feet. Families lost their homes, they have lost their communities, they have lost their jobs, and many families have lost everything. Their only possessions were contained sometimes in a single black plastic bag as they fled their homes. These are extraordinary circumstances and they require extraordinary actions on our part. As you heard by the legislation that was passed, we are acting responsibly and aggressively in meeting the needs of those victims. Helping these families put a roof over their heads is one aspect of the real tragedy that has unfolded.…”