Text 1908, 162 rader
Skriven 2005-12-21 23:32:56 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0512214) for Wed, 2005 Dec 21
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President Signs H.R. 4440, the Gulf Opportunity Zone Act of 2005
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
December 21, 2005

President Signs H.R. 4440, the Gulf Opportunity Zone Act of 2005
Room 350
Dwight D. Eisenhower Executive Office Building

President's Remarks
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˙˙˙˙˙Fact Sheet: A Commitment to Continued Recovery and Rebuilding in the
Gulf Coast
˙˙˙˙˙In Focus: Hurricane Recovery

3:07 P.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT: Thanks for coming. In a few moments I will sign the Gulf
Opportunity Zone Act of 2005. This important bill will help the citizens of
the Gulf Coast continue to put their lives back together and rebuild their
communities in the wake of the devastating hurricanes that hit the region
earlier this year.

I want to thank the members of Congress who have joined us here, and those
who haven't joined us here, for passing this important piece of
legislation. I want to thank Trent Lott, from Mississippi, for being here.
Trent Lott invited me one time to his home, right there on the Gulf Coast
of Mississippi. It no longer exists. He knows firsthand what it means to
live through one of these devastating storms -- and I appreciate you,
Senator, for being here.

I want to thank Congressmen Jim McCrery of Louisiana and Bill Jefferson of
Louisiana. Both these members have worked very hard for the people of the
great state of Louisiana with Congress to put a package together to help
the people of Louisiana and Mississippi get back up on their feet.

I want to thank Max Baucus -- he's not from the Gulf Coast area of America,
he's from Montana, but he cares. And he's a ranking member of the Finance
Committee and it's kind for you to be here.

I want to thank members of my Cabinet who have joined us here today: Elaine
Chao and Alphonso Jackson, Mike Chertoff.

And, finally, I want to thank my friend, Don Powell, who is the federal
coordinator for the Gulf Coast rebuilding effort. His job is to represent
the administration there as he interfaces with state and local officials. I
want to thank you, Don, for taking on this assignment.

When I spoke to the nation from Jackson Square, in New Orleans, I said our
job and our goal for the Gulf Coast was not just to survive, but to thrive,
and not just to cope, but to overcome. And I meant it. And we're now
implementing a comprehensive plan to help the people of the region recover
and rebuild. We've helped a lot of people get temporary housing. We're now
in the process of helping them to transition to permanent homes. Helping
people find housing is going to be one of the really important challenges
that we all face together in order to help these areas rebuild.

We're working to assist the school districts that have taken in students
from the affected areas. There's a lot of school districts around our
country that said, we want to help, let us educate the children of those
who evacuated and now we're helping to rebuild them.

We're also helping rebuild the schools in the affected regions. Last week,
we announced our plan to strengthen the levee system in New Orleans. And in
the last 24 hours, I extended full federal coverage of the cost of debris
removal for Louisiana and Mississippi. We want to get the debris out of the
way. I can't imagine anything more discouraging then to continue to see the
piles -- and I mean, literally, piles -- of debris. And the sooner we can
get that debris removed and disposed of, the more hopeful people will
become.

Today, I'm going to sign the Gulf Opportunity Zone Act of 2005. It's a step
forward to fulfill this country's commitment to help rebuild. It's going to
help small businesses, is what it's going to do. For small businesses in
the affected area, the GO Zone will double expensing for investments and
new equipment from $100,000 to $200,000.

The bill also provides a 50 percent bonus depreciation, and that means tax
relief for small businesses that -- and businesses that purchase new
equipment and build new structures. In other words, this tax act provides
incentives for people to move forward. And as these businesses move
forward, they're going to need to employ people. So this is a tax bill that
has got employment consequences to it. This is going to help the
entrepreneurs of Louisiana and Mississippi and Alabama, entrepreneurship
creates opportunity, which creates job.

This is just part of our plan to help the people get back to work. We've
got to help workers get the skills they need. I just met with a group of
concerned citizens from business and labor and education, all aspects of
society. Again, I want to thank you all for being there. We're talking
about how to help put together a strategy that takes advantage of the jobs
that are going to be created down there to make sure there's a skill set
match. We've got a lot of people that want to work, and yet they may not
all be electricians or plumbers. And so one of the real challenges and
opportunities we have is to match willing worker with jobs which will
actually exist. And that's what we're talking about and strategizing about.

And, again, I want to thank you all very much. This is the private sector
and public sector working in close coordination. Don Powell is going to
help put together a strategy that will be, one, it's easy to understand;
and, two, that will have moments that we'll be able to measure whether or
not we're making progress.

The GO Zone Act does a couple of other things. It increases funding for
Hope scholarships and lifetime learning credits for students attending
colleges and graduate students in the -- and graduate schools in the Gulf
Opportunity Zone. It's going to make continuing education for workers more
accessible and help support high school training that these Gulf Coast
residents are going to need to fill the jobs which are actually going to be
existing.

By the way, in a year from now, we're going to be talking about, what are
we going to do about all these jobs, and who's going to fill them? As a
matter of fact, there's a job shortage already down there. And, again, I
repeat to you, this provides a great opportunity to make sure that the
folks in Mississippi and Louisiana can find work. And those are the folks
we want to be first in line, by the way. If you're from New Orleans,
Louisiana, we want you to be the first person to get the job. And what I'm
telling you is we're going to work to make sure housing is available for
you, and there's a training center, or training program, that will help you
match your desire to work with the jobs which actually exist.

If you're from Mississippi, we want those new jobs to go to Mississippi
residents, and we want to help the Mississippi community college, for
example, to become a vital training center for the jobs which are going to
be needed to help this important part of our country get back up on its
feet.

The Senate passed a deficit reduction bill that's going to provide $2
billion to help states pay for critical medical care for those evacuees who
need it; that's important. The defense appropriations bill that the Senate
is now considering, and I hope passes, would help repair damaged
transportation infrastructure, and provide important federal funding for
New Orleans to rebuild the levees, and correct any design and construction
flaws of those levees. These bills are important for the future of the Gulf
Coast.

The DOD bill is really important, as the good senator will tell you. This
time of year, Americans, we give our thanks for the many blessings we have.
We renew our commitment to help those who are in need. We are going to
continue to work together to build a better future for the people of the
Gulf Coast. And the bill I'm about to sign is going to make a difference.
It's an important piece of legislation. It's part of our strategy to
accomplish an important national goal, and that is a revitalized Gulf Coast
and a New Orleans that is a shining example of what America can do when it
puts its mind to something.

So, again, thank you all for coming. Now I'm honored to sign the bill.

(The bill was signed.) (Applause.)

END 3:16 P.M. EST

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