I 
110TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1411 
To provide for the construction and rehabilitation of child care facilities 
in areas of the Gulf Coast affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 8, 2007 
Mr. JEFFERSON (for himself, Mr. TAYLOR, Ms. NORTON, Mr. ELLISON, and 
Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida) introduced the following bill; which was 
referred to the Committee on Financial Services 
A BILL 
To provide for the construction and rehabilitation of child 
care facilities in areas of the Gulf Coast affected by 
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Emergency Gulf Coast 
Child Care Construction and Rebuilding Act’’. 
SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds that— 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
17:58 Mar 10, 2007
Jkt 059196
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H1411.IH
H1411
rwilkins on PROD1PC63 with BILLS
(1) the Bureau of the Census has reported that, 
before Hurricane Katrina occurred, there were in 
New Orleans— 
(A) 25,000 two-parent families with chil-
dren under the age of 18; 
(B) 26,000 female-headed households with 
children under 18 and no husband present; and 
(C) more than 18,000 households con-
sisting of an individual more than 65 years old 
living alone; 
(2) studies have determined that reopening 
child care facilities after Hurricane Katrina was cru-
cial for helping parents get back to work and busi-
nesses to recover; 
(3) studies have shown that a lack of available 
and affordable child care greatly impedes economic 
recovery and reduces worker productivity; 
(4) the National Association of Child Care Re-
source and Referral Agencies reported in a study 
published by the Mississippi State University Early 
Childhood Institute that between 62 and 94 percent 
of the licensed child care slots in the three coastal 
counties in Mississippi hardest hit by Hurricanes 
Katrina and Rita were lost;
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
17:58 Mar 10, 2007
Jkt 059196
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H1411.IH
H1411
rwilkins on PROD1PC63 with BILLS
(5) initial assessments determined that one- 
fourth of the licensed child care centers, in Jackson 
County, Mississippi, representing 11 percent of the 
county’s licensed child care capacity, were damaged 
beyond repair and another 39 percent of centers 
needed repairs; 
(6) before Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, New 
Orleans had 1,912 day care slots at 266 licensed 
child care centers, but now 75 percent of those slots 
and 80 percent of those centers are gone;
(7) studies have determined that— 
(A) 33 of 61 neighborhoods in New Orle-
ans lost all their licensed day care centers; 
(B) another 19 neighborhoods lost at least 
some day care slots; and 
(C) several neighborhoods completely lack-
ing licensed child care have already shown 
strong signs of recovery, including Bywater and 
Broadmoor, while areas such as Central City, 
Mid-City, and Uptown have lost 60 percent or 
more of their centers; 
(8) only 55 child care centers were open in New 
Orleans at the end of September 2006 and of those 
10 participated in the Federal Head Start program, 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
17:58 Mar 10, 2007
Jkt 059196
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H1411.IH
H1411
rwilkins on PROD1PC63 with BILLS