Charles Boustany

Mr. BOUSTANY

Mr. BOUSTANY. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner), the distinguished chairman of the Committee on Education and the Workforce.

Mr. BOUSTANY. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Marchant).

Mr. BOUSTANY. Madam Speaker, I yield back my time as well.

Mr. BOUSTANY

Mr. BOUSTANY. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3765) to extend through December 31, 2007, the authority of the Secretary of the Army to accept and expend funds contributed by non-Federal public entities to expedite the processing of permits.

Mr. BOUSTANY. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3765, to authorize an extension of the Army Corps of Engineers' section 214 program. Section 214 of the Water Resources Development Act of 2000 allows the Army Corps of Engineers to accept and expend funds provided by non-Federal public entities to hire additional personnel to process regulatory permits. Madam Speaker, H.R. 3765 is urgently needed since the authority for this program expires on September 30 of this calendar year. If this program expires, the corps will have to fire some regulatory personnel, reducing its ability to process permits in a timely manner. The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure has heard from Members on both sides of the aisle supporting the section 214 program. H.R. 3765 is identical to the language in section 2003 of the Water Resources Development Act of 2005, which passed the House on July 14, 2005, by a vote of 406 to 14. While the other body has not yet acted upon the Water Resources Development Act this year, I am hopeful that in the wake of Hurricane Katrina they move quickly to pass the bill providing for the water resources needs of our Nation. But because the authority for the section 214 program is expiring, it is necessary to move this piece separately. I thank the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Baird) and our colleagues from Washington State for introducing this bill. I urge all Members to vote in favor of H.R. 3765. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BOUSTANY. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BOUSTANY. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BOUSTANY. Madam Speaker, I thank our colleagues from the other side of the aisle for working on this bipartisan piece of legislation. It is critically important, and I urge its passage. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BOUSTANY. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. BOUSTANY

Mr. BOUSTANY. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in the Senate amendment to the bill (H.R. 3649) to ensure funding for sportfishing and boating safety programs funded out of the Highway Trust Fund through the end of fiscal year 2005, and for other purposes.

Mr. BOUSTANY. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 3649.

Mr. BOUSTANY. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I will be very brief in my comments on this. The bill that we are considering today is nearly identical to the legislation that was approved by this body by a 401 to 1 vote last week. H.R. 3649, as passed by the Senate, includes an additional technical amendment that will temporarily extend funding for national highway safety programs through the end of the current fiscal year. H.R. 3649 will also ensure that funding is made available for State recreational boating programs for the remainder of fiscal year 2005. These funds support boating safety and education, outreach and communication programs in each and every State and U.S. territory to promote safe and responsible boating and fishing practices nationwide. I thank my colleagues for their continued support of this important legislation and for their work to improve access and safety on our Nation's waterways. I urge a ``yes'' vote on H.R. 3649. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BOUSTANY. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BOUSTANY

Mr. BOUSTANY. Madam Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding me this time. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of the resolution to create a bipartisan, bicameral congressional committee to investigate the local, State, and Federal response and preparation to Hurricane Katrina. As a member of the Louisiana delegation, I am not interested in polls. I want prudent deliberation, and I want substantive action. Congress has the obligation and duty to conduct a thorough investigation to provide the American people with answers. The investigation must be expeditious and thorough, without interfering with the recovery efforts. The idea of an independent commission is not the best option. It is the responsibility of Congress to look at the Federal agencies this body created to respond to disasters. It is the responsibility of Congress to identify the deficiencies and correct them. As a result of the 9/11 Commission, Congress responded with legislation based on their recommendations. Now is the time for Congress to provide scrutiny on how the law was implemented. A separate so-called independent commission would simply be a redundant step. The American people demand prompt answers and solid solutions to the bureaucratic and legal hurdles that were impediments to the response to Hurricane Katrina. I personally experienced these. As a member of the Louisiana delegation, I also believe that the Members from impacted regions must have a participating voice in the investigation to provide firsthand knowledge of frustrations and impediments that our offices confronted. It is urgent that deficiencies in command, control, communication, and response be corrected. A bipartisan, bicameral congressional committee for oversight and investigation is the first step. I urge my colleagues to support this resolution so that Congress can exercise its duty and obligation to the American people.

Mr. BOUSTANY

Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, one of the great success stories in this tragedy is the fact that thousands of volunteers from across the country responded to the needs of the victims. Physicians and nurses and other medical volunteers, health care professionals, volunteered their specialized skills to come to the aid of the victims of Katrina. Their efforts have ensured that these victims receive much-needed care and assistance, but many more have been hesitant to take part because they were threatened by the specter of lawsuits. I know this to be a fact. I was on the ground there in Louisiana. I helped to organize much of the medical relief effort, and this is a fact, that many were hesitant to come to the aid. Rules protecting good Samaritans vary greatly between States, and it is often unclear what legal protections volunteers have when performing charitable acts, and this was particularly so with such a tragedy of this magnitude. H.R. 3736 will clarify the rules for everyone involved and ensure that uniform standards are applied to relief efforts from Louisiana to Mississippi to Alabama. This bill will protect volunteers acting in good faith to assist Katrina victims, while still protecting the rights of victims who allege injuries as a result of willful, wanton, reckless, or criminal conduct on the part of a volunteer. Questions of liability should not and should never prevent individuals and organizations from offering their services in such a tragedy. So, Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of the Katrina Volunteer Protection Act. This is important legislation, and I urge its rapid and steady approval.

Mr. BOUSTANY

Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill to provide additional relief to students whose higher education plans have been put on hold as a result of the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. Yesterday, the House unanimously approved a bill to ensure that students who were forced to withdraw from college because of a natural disaster are not forced to repay Pell grant aid. I think that bill will provide critical relief to students who are already facing tremendous hardships as a result of this tragedy. I am pleased today to be taking the next critical step by providing this type of flexibility and protection for students receiving all types of grant aid under title IV of the Higher Education Act. We need to provide the Secretary of Education the utmost flexibility to meet the needs of students who have lost their homes and communities, and that is exactly what this bill will do. Each year millions of American students gain access to higher education with the help of Federal student aid. The Federal Government is providing more than $73 billion in direct financial aid to students for fiscal year 2005 in order to ensure college access for students from all walks of life. I am proud of our tremendous investment in higher education. Unfortunately, the tragic events of the scope like that which we are seeing on the Gulf Coast were not anticipated in the structure of the Federal student aid programs. The Department of Education lacks the flexibility to waive student aid repayment requirements for students who are forced to withdraw from higher education as a result of a natural disaster. Waiver authority does exist within student loan programs, and yesterday we provided similar flexibility within the Pell grant program. Today, we are addressing the remaining discrepancy for other types of student financial aid that play a critical role in providing college access to low- and middle-income students. The bill will protect students from being forced to repay other types of grant aid under title IV of the Higher Education Act. Some examples of the types of programs protected under this bill would be TRIO, GEAR UP, and the Supplemental Educational Opportunity grants. Mr. Speaker, this bill is but one small step in what will be a comprehensive, long-term relief effort. However, for many students and families this bill will provide critical relief as they work to rebuild their homes and lives and, ultimately, as they do return to higher education in the future. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in support of this bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3668) to provide the Secretary of Education with waiver authority for students who are eligible for Federal student grant assistance who are adversely affected by a major disaster.

Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the distinguished gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner), the chairman of the Committee on Education and the Workforce.

Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 3668.

Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I thank the gentleman from Michigan for his cooperation in this. This bill represents a small, but certain, step toward comprehensive recovery; and I urge its passage.

Mr. BOUSTANY. I yield to the gentlewoman from Texas.

Mr. BOUSTANY. Yes.

Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.