Congress Passes Hurricane Aid for Schools

Most of $1.6 billion in bill sent to Bush is set for K-12 education.

The long-awaited federal aid for schools damaged by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and for those that took in thousands of students displaced by the devastating storms appears to be on the way.

In a rush to complete key legislation before the holidays, the Senate on Dec. 21 voted 93-0 to pass a defense spending bill that includes $1.6 billion in hurricane-related aid for education, with $1.4 billion slated for K-12 public and private schools and the rest earmarked for higher education. The House approved the measure Dec....