U.S. Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) and John Cornyn (R-TX) have worked to give cities recovering from Hurricane Ike a break in their bills.

After sending a request to President Bush, the senators announced the approved of their request for the federal government to reimburse counties for 100 percent of the cost of debris removal and emergency protective measures from Hurricane Ike for 30 days beginning September 26.

At the beginning of the month, Senators Hutchison and Cornyn sent a letter to FEMA Administrator David Paulison asking that he extend the reimbursement period for counties in the affected area. County officials, uncertain that their costs for debris removal would be fully reimbursed, have expressed concern that their ability to restore basic services has been jeopardized while they wait for a decision.

“Many of our affected counties need certainty about what will be reimbursed as they do their best to restore services,” said Sen. Hutchison. “With this announcement, local elected officials can return their complete focus on cleaning up the area and rebuilding neighborhoods. I spoke with President Bush personally and believe he was touched by the devastation. I appreciate that the President heard our concerns and agreed to our request.”

The announcement states that the Federal Government will pay 100 percent of eligible costs under the Stafford Act for public assistance work in Category A (debris removal) and Category B (emergency protective measures) for a 30 day period starting September 26.