COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND THE WORKFORCE
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

September 16, 2005

Support More JOBS for Displaced Workers as a Result of Hurricane Katrina

Cosponsor the Flexibility for Displaced Workers Act (H.R. 3761)

Dear Colleague:

Among the harshest realities of Hurricane Katrina is that tens of thousands of workers have been displaced not just from their homes, but their jobs as well.  Through both legislative initiatives in Congress and administrative actions by the U.S. Department of Labor, the federal government is working to eliminate bureaucratic red tape so workers and their families in impacted areas may access immediate assistance, including temporary job placement and training.

One way we’re doing this is through National Emergency Grants (NEGs), which provide temporary disaster relief employment of up to six months to individuals who participate in projects that provide assistance for victims of that particular disaster.  In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the Labor Department has awarded more than $191 million in National Emergency Grants to help provide more than 40,000 temporary jobs in the Gulf Coast region.  The Flexibility for Displaced Workers Act (H.R. 3761) takes another important step:  it adds even more flexibility to these grants.  In short, it makes more jobs and training available to more displaced workers more quickly.

For example, for the countless displaced workers who have left the Gulf Coast region, this measure makes NEG funds available for employment projects located outside the designated Hurricane Katrina disaster area.  It also expands NEG eligibility to displaced individuals who currently are unemployed, as well as those with no prior work history.  In addition, to provide workers with the peace of mind that this assistance won’t disappear too soon, the bill authorizes the Labor Secretary to extend the duration of NEG projects from six months to 12 months.

This bill would provide more jobs and critical assistance to the workers, families, and communities most in need as a result of Hurricane Katrina.  If you would like to cosponsor the bill, please contact Rob Gregg at 5-7101, and join us in supporting the Flexibility for Displaced Workers Act (H.R. 3761).

Sincerely,