Government

Senate passes bill to fund Texas hurricane recovery, border security, defense needs

Emergency Supplemental Bill includes Cornyn Amendment to provide additional $182 million for hurricane recovery

From the Office of Senator John Cornyn

May 9, 2006

WASHINGTON—U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, a member of the Budget Committee, applauded Senate passage of the Emergency Supplemental funding bill on Thursday that will provide funding for Texas hurricane recovery efforts, border security and national defense needs.

Included in the bill is a bipartisan provision introduced by Sen. Cornyn to provide Texas an additional $182 million for hurricane recovery efforts.

Sen. Cornyn is also a co-sponsor of an amendment in the bill that will substantially increase the reimbursement rate Texas receives for Hurricane Rita recovery. This amendment, introduced by Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, will ensure that the state’s hardest hit counties will receive a 90/10 cost sharing agreement for damage reimbursement—up from the previous 75/25.

“This emergency supplemental bill provides critical funding for Texas hurricane recovery, border security and national defense,” Cornyn said. “I’m encouraged that the funding for Texas in the Senate-passed version of the bill is substantially higher than what was in the original proposal. And while the differences with the House version still have to be reconciled, the Texas delegation will work to ensure that this much needed funding remains in the final bill.”

The Cornyn amendment will provide Texas with at least $182 million in Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) for various hurricane relief efforts including long-term recovery and infrastructure restoration. The amendment guarantees Texas at least 3.5 percent of the $5.2 billion included in the supplemental bill for CDBG funding—at least $182 million, more than double the amount allocated to Texas earlier this year ($74.5 million).

“The Texas delegation continues working hard to make sure our state is not forgotten,” Cornyn said. “And we’ll keep fighting so that Texas receives its fair share of recovery assistance for Hurricanes Rita and Katrina.”

Congress provided $11.5 billion in CDBG funds for hurricane relief last year. But only $74.5 million under that program, CDBG funds, was allocated to Texas, or less than one percent. The CDBG program is a flexible funding source that provides communities with assistance to address a wide range of unique community development needs.

Sen. Cornyn is a member of the following Senate Committees: Armed Services; Judiciary; Budget; Small Business and Entrepreneurship; and Joint Economic. He is also the chairman of the subcommittees on Immigration, Border Security and Citizenship and Emerging Threats and Capabilities.