[StBernard] Senate Bill 1715 (Enzi, R-WY)

[Westley Annis]

Background

In the face of the Katrina disaster, Catholic Schools have reached out to
those displaced from the Gulf area by the hurricane.

* The Diocese of Baton Rouge has added 4000 students to its school system of
16,000, increasing the student body by 25 per cent overnight.

* The Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston is educating 1848 students affected
by the hurricane and is working to locate more spaces and resources for
additional students.

* Throughout the country, over 12,000 students have enrolled in Catholic
schools. Thousands of other students have enrolled in other private schools.
These schools are absorbing the cost of their education.

Current Proposals

In the Senate, S. 1715 (Enzi, R-WY) was introduced to provide relief to
public schools and public school systems who have added students to their
rolls as a result of the hurricane. While this aid is needed byu the public
schools, the bill does not include any assistance to parents of public
school students to help private schools defray the cost of new students.

President Bush proposed setting asisde $488 million to compensate families
for the costs associated with attending private schools. His emergency
compensation amount would be up to 90 percent of the state's average per
pupil expenditure through the 2005-2006 school year, with a maximum payment
of $7500 per child.

Your help is Urgently Needed!

We have heard that committee leadership is trying to move S. 1715 directly
to the Senate floor to be considered without dabate and without a recorded
vote. To ensure that students who attended private schools before the
hurricane and the schools that have welcomed them in will receive
assistance, please do the following:

1) Call you Senators and Congressman. This is particularly important if your
Senator is a member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP)
Committee (see below).

2) Convey to your Senators and Congressmen that this is not a debate about a
politically correct policy - it is an issue of relief to children and
families who were wiped out by the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina.

3) Impress upon your members' offices that this is a time we have to keep
our focus on the needs of children and families.

4) Stress that the Hurricane and subsequent flooding did not single out
public schools - it destroyed or damages public and private schools alike.
Now our job is to help put lives back together.

5) Convey your own school's or diocese's actions in support of families
affected by the hurricae, particularly if you have added students to your
schools.

Louisiana Congressional Delagation

United States Senate

Sen. Mary Landrieu

United States Senate
724 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

(202) 224-5824
(202) 224-9735 fax

http://landrieu.senate.gov

Sen. David Vitter

United States Senate
516 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

(202) 224-4623
(202) 228-5061 fax

http://vitter.senate.gov

United States House of Representatives

Rep. Bobby Jindal
1st District

United States House of Representatives
1205 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-3015
(202) 226-0386 fax

http://www.house.gov/jindal



Rep. William Jefferson 
2nd District

United States House of Representatives
2113 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-6636
(202) 225-1988 fax

http://www.house.gov/jefferson 
 


Rep. Charlie Melancon
3rd District

United States House of Representatives
404 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-4031
(202) 226-3944 fax

http://www.house.gov/melancon
 


Rep. James O. McCrery 
4th District

United States House of Representatives
2104 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-2777
(202) 225-8039 fax

http://www.house.gov/mccrery 
 


Rep. Rodney Alexander 
5th District

United States House of Representatives
316 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-8490
(202) 225-5639 fax

http://www.house.gov/alexander 
 


Rep. Richard H. Baker 
6th District

United States House of Representatives
341 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-3901
(202) 225-7313 fax

http://www.house.gov/baker 
 


Rep. Charles W. Boustany, Jr.
7th District

United States House of Representatives
1117 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-2031
(202) 225-5724 fax

http://www.house.gov/boustany

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COMMITTEE ON HEALTH, EDUCATION, LABOR AND PENSIONS
UNITED STATES SENATE
ONE HUNDRED NINTH CONGRESS
http://help.senate.gov/

Committee Chairman
Mike Enzi (R-WY) - (202)224-3424

Republicans
Senator Judd Gregg (NH) - 202-224-3324

Senator Bill Frist (TN) - 202-224-3344

Senator Lamar Alexander (TN) - 202-224-4944

Senator Richard Burr (NC) - 202-224-3154

Senator Johnny Isakson (GA) - 202-224-3643

Senator Mike DeWine (OH) - 202-224-2315

Senator John Ensign (NV) - 202-224-5244

Senator Orrin Hatch (UT) - 202-224-5251

Senator Jeff Sessions (AL) - 202-224-4124

Senator Pat Roberts (KS) - 202-224-4774

Democrats
Ranking Member
Senator Edward Kennedy (MA) - 202-224-4543

Senator Christopher Dodd (CT) - 202-224-2823

Senator Tom Harkin (IA) - 202-224-3254

Senator Barbara Mikulski (MD) - 202-224-4654

Senator James Jeffords (I-VT) - 202-224-5141

Senator Jeff Bingaman (NM) - 202-224-5521

Senator Patty Murray (WA) - 202-224-2621

Senator Jack Reed (RI) - 202-224-4642

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (NY) - 202-224-4451