Washington, D.C. - U.S. Congressman Kevin Brady (R-The Woodlands) received a personal assurance from President Bush during a private White House meeting in recent days that he would support Texas' request for additional education funding for taking in tens of thousands of Hurricane Katrina students.  Today, White House staff confirmed to Congressman Brady they will call upon the Senate to include additional education funding for Texas in the Senate hurricane supplemental bill. 

 

"While this commitment comes after the House has already acted, our Texas Senators are fighting hard and this helps give them the ammunition they need.  I thank the President for understanding how far Texas communities and schools have gone to take in these students," said Brady, who has led the fight for Texas' hurricane recovery in the House.

 

The House passed its version of the hurricane supplemental spending bill earlier this month.  The Senate is expected to take up its own version of the measure sometime after Easter. 

 

The additional funding promised to Brady by the President and confirmed again today by his staff builds on the $645 million already signed into law back in December as a part of the Hurricane Education Recovery Act.  This additional funding is desperately needed to reimburse schools districts throughout the United States for the influx of hurricane displaced students. 

 

Immediately following Hurricane Katrina, Texas took in over 47,500 displaced students from Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. Today, 37,000 displaced students are still enrolled in Texas schools.