Oct. 6--WASHINGTON -- An airport reconstruction bill written by Mississippi Sen. Trent Lott and co-sponsored by Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., is one of four hurricane relief measures the House is expected to consider today.
The Senate-passed legislation would divert current federal grants to public airports that were damaged by the hurricanes. Money would also be available to cover the airports' emergency operating costs caused by Rita and Katrina.
Both Lott and Cochran have called airport repair an important step toward reviving the economies of hurricane-stricken regions.
Repairs to Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport will cost at least $57 million, according to Ken Spirito, the airport's assistant executive director.
The other three hurricane-related bills expected to be considered by the House are all sponsored by representatives from Louisiana. They would authorize the Department of Housing and Urban Development to help pay for and provide housing to those affected by the storms.
One would provide Section 8 housing vouchers to people whose homes were damaged by Katrina. It would also authorize the HUD secretary to directly administer the vouchers if the appropriate local public housing agencies sustained hurricane damage, keeping them from doing it themselves.
Another proposal would direct different government offices to list federal facilities and other properties that could be used for emergency housing of displaced hurricane victims.
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