CONFERENCE REPORT
EXCERPTS FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2006 JOINT EXPLANATORY STATEMENT - PUBLIC LAW 109-148
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CONFERENCE REPORT
***************** JOINT EXPLANATORY STATEMENT ***************** DIVISION B—EMERGENCY SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS TO ADDRESS HURRICANES IN THE GULF OF MEXICO AND PANDEMIC INFLUENZA, 2006 TITLE I—EMERGENCY SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS TO ADDRESS HURRICANES IN THE GULF OF MEXICO ***************** CHAPTER 6***************** DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES ADMINISTRATION FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES SOCIAL SERVICES BLOCK GRANT The conference agreement includes a supplemental appropriation of $550,000,000 for the Social Services Block Grant (SSBG). The conferees note that the hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico in calendar year 2005 have imposed extreme demands for social and health care services in affected States. States may use SSBG funds for a wide array of human services. In addition to other uses, the conferees intend these funds to be available to help meet the health care needs of people affected by the hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico in calendar year 2005 and lacking health insurance or other adequate access to care, and to help health care ‘‘safety net'' providers restore and resume their operations. Accordingly, the conferees have included bill language intended to remove any uncertainties as to the eligibility of health care providers and facilities (including mental health providers and facilities) to receive Social Services Block Grant funds from this appropriation. Examples of institutions that could receive these funds include community health centers, rural hospitals and clinics, community mental health centers, public hospitals, and other providers with substantial percentages of uninsured patients. In addition to helping meet health care needs arising from the hurricanes, funds may be made available for repairs or reconstruction needed to allow health centers and similar providers to resume or expand operations, or to help key providers meet salary and other costs associated with resuming or restoring health services. The conferees are concerned about the mental health impact of the hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico in calendar year 2005. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that as many as 500,000 Gulf Coast residents might need mental health care. The conferees encourage the Secretary to work with State governments in the region to ensure that adequate funding is available, within the amounts appropriated, for community safety net providers to meet this emerging public mental health crisis. CHILDREN AND FAMILIES SERVICES PROGRAMS The conference agreement includes a supplemental appropriation of $90,000,000 for Head Start to serve children displaced by the hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico in calendar year 2005 and to cover costs associated with renovating Head Start facilities, which were affected by the hurricanes, to the extent that FEMA and insurance companies do not fully cover such costs. ***************** CHAPTER 8 GOVERNMENT-WIDE RESCISSIONS The conference agreement includes a 1 percent across-the board rescission to discretionary budgetary resources provided in fiscal year 2006 regular appropriations Acts, as well as to any previously enacted fiscal year 2006 advance appropriation and to any contract authority subject to limitation. The rescission does not apply to the Department of Veterans Affairs or spending designated as an emergency requirement. TITLE IV—HURRICANE EDUCATION RECOVERY ACT SUBTITLE C—EDUCATION AND RELATED PROGRAMS HURRICANE RELIEF The conference agreement includes language to extend certain deadlines of the individuals with disabilities education act and waivers relating to Head Start and the Child Care and Development Block Grant. This language is included to facilitate assistance related to the hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico in calendar year 2005. *****************
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