House Education Leaders Applaud Enactment of Higher Education Relief Bills for Students Impacted by Hurricane Katrina

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Republican leaders of the U.S. House Education & the Workforce Committee today applauded swift passage and enactment of legislation to provide flexibility and assistance to students forced to withdraw from higher education because of Hurricane Katrina.  President Bush today signed two bills proposed by House Republicans to allow the U.S. Secretary of Education to waive financial aid repayment requirements for students impacted by natural disasters.

“The students impacted by Hurricane Katrina are facing immediate hardships, and that’s why it is so imperative for us to provide immediate relief,” said Education & the Workforce Committee Chairman John Boehner (R-OH).  “I’m pleased President Bush acted quickly to sign these bills to send support to the students who need it.  These bills are an important first step in the ongoing rebuilding and recovery effort for the educational system in the Gulf Coast region.”

The two bills signed by President Bush are:

• The Pell Grant Hurricane and Disaster Relief Act (H.R. 3169), authored by Rep. Ric Keller (R-FL), allows the Secretary of Education to waive Pell Grant repayment requirements for students impacted by natural disasters.

• The Student Grant Hurricane and Disaster Relief Act (H.R. 3668), introduced by Rep. Bobby Jindal (R-LA), protects students from having to repay other types of grant aid under Title IV of the Higher Education Act such as Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (SEOG) and funds through the TRIO and GEAR UP programs.

"This is a common-sense piece of legislation that makes sure over 100,000 of our neediest college students impacted by Hurricane Katrina and other hurricanes will be able to continue their education," said Rep. Keller.  "I want to be sure and thank Senator Mel Martinez for his support and leadership in getting this important legislation through the Senate."

“Students and families are facing hardship enough in the wake of Hurricane Katrina’s devastation.  More work is yet to be done, but today we’ve taken an important step to ease the financial burden on those students who have been forced to withdraw from school because of this unparalleled disaster,” said Rep. Jindal.

“Hurricane Katrina proved to be a devastating blow to the Gulf Coast region, taking many lives and leaving countless families homeless and out of work and school,” said Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-CA), chairman of the 21st Century Competitiveness Subcommittee.  “I am pleased that President Bush signed these two important bills today, so that students forced to withdraw from school as a result of this terrible natural disaster do not have to worry about repaying their federal grant aid.”

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