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October 27, 2005
Union of
Orthodox Jewish Congregations Expresses Disappointment
with House Cmte. Vote
on Katrina Education Relief Bill;
Three Months Later Schools Still Waiting
Today, in
the wake of a vote in the House of Representatives' Committee of
Education & the Workforce at which a proposal to provide $6700
per student displaced by Hurricane Katrina in federal relief
funds to every school - public, private or parochial - which has
taken in such students was defeated by a vote of 26 to 21, the
Union's director of public policy, Nathan Diament, issued the
following statement:
We are disappointed that members of the House committee could
not put aside larger political differences and the extremist
calls of certain activist organizations and vote to expedite
overdue federal aid to the schools serving children displaced by
the hurricane. Despite the commonsense recognition - shared by
people of diverse beliefs such as Senators Lamar Alexander, Ted
Kennedy and the Washington Post's editorial writers - that
public and non-public schools should receive this aid, a
majority of committee members balked at Chmn. Boehner's initial
proposal.
We appreciate that late in the day Mr. Boehner offered another
proposal which would have the Dept of Education make grants
directly to schools - public and nonpublic - which have taken in
displaced students. We hope that a mark up for this new
proposal, or action on a similar one, will take place swiftly
and the members on the Committee will not delay this relief
effort lest the funds be re-allocated in the reconciliation
process."
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