[StBernard] HUD approves $709M Louisiana recovery plan

[Westley Annis]

BATON ROUGE (AP) - Federal officials Monday approved Louisiana's plans to
spend $709 million in federal hurricane recovery money on business
assistance programs, school repairs, infrastructure needs and tourism
marketing. 
 
U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson oversees a
multibillion dollar pool dedicated by Congress to Gulf Coast states after
Hurricane Katrina, known as community development block grants. 
  
The block grant funding is more flexible than other hurricane recovery
dollars, and $10.4 billion is available to Louisiana - most of which the
state has received approval to use for housing aid. 
  
Among the plans submitted to HUD by Louisiana officials and approved by
Jackson Monday were: 
  
. $300 million for city and parish government building and other
infrastructure repairs. 
  
. $200 million to repair or rebuild hurricane damaged schools. 
  
. $171 million for economic development plans, to provide loans and grants
to small businesses ($133 million), to give companies technical assistance
($9.5 million) and to market Louisiana as a tourist destination for visitors
and conventions ($28.5 million). 
  
. $38 million to start job training programs in southern parishes most
damaged by Katrina and Hurricane Rita. 
  
"These plans are designed to bring critically needed jobs back to the Bayou
State, to jumpstart the tourism industry and to support the brick and mortar
work needed to restore Louisiana's infrastructure," Jackson said in a news
release announcing the approval of the spending..