House OKs Supplemental CDBG Funds

The House has approved a $94.5 billion supplemental appropriations bill that also provides $4.2 billion in additional Community Development Block Grants for Louisiana to help rebuild homes severely damaged in hurricanes Katrina and Rita.Congress provided Louisiana $6.2 billion in CDBG funds last December, but it was deemed inadequate to deal with damage caused by the massive flooding. President Bush requested an additional $4 billion in CDBG funds for Louisiana. The Senate was expected to approve final passage of the supplemental spending bill Thursday. The bill also includes $1 billion in CDBG funds to address hurricane recovery efforts in Mississippi, Texas, Alabama, and Florida. Mississippi and Louisiana are currently using the CDBG funds to provide homeowners with grants of up to $150,000 to repair and rebuild their homes.