Washington, D.C. - U.S. Congressman Kevin Brady (R-The Woodlands) today joined state hurricane recovery spokesman Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams and Senator John Cornyn at a hearing held at the Department of Housing and Urban Development that will determine the allocations gulf coast hurricane affected states receive from the remaining $1 billion Congress appropriated for housing and infrastructure recovery.

 

In June, Congress appropriated $4.2 billion directly to Louisiana, leaving the opportunity for Alabama, Mississippi and Texas to demonstrate their needs and claim their stake of the remaining $1 billion in Community Development Block Grants to help communities affected by Hurricanes Rita and Katrina rebuilding housing and community infrastructure.  Instead of setting aside specific allocations for states, Congress established needs based criteria for determining award amounts and charged HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson with distributing the funds.

 

Today's hearing at the Department of Housing and Urban Development allowed Texas to demonstrate its needs and justify its request of $954 million in CDBG monies to help communities affected by Hurricane Rita. 

 

"The meeting went well," said Brady, "We made a strong and clear argument for Texas' remaining unmet needs and I am confident HUD Secretary Jackson will make the right decision and send Texas the help we need for housing, small business, job training and infrastructure."

 

Congressman Brady is confident Texas will receive a more equitable share of these CDBG funds after assurances from Secretary Alphonso Jackson during his tour of East and Southeast Texas in April that he would remember all that he toured and heard first hand from local officials. 

 

Any award made after today's hearing would be in addition to the $74 million in CDBG funds already distributed to East and Southeast Texas Council of Governments