Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 79.djvu/1200

 1160

PUBLIC LAW 89-313-NOV. 1, 1965

[79 STAT.

to be of sufficient severity and magnitude to warrant disaster assistance by the Federal Government, and " (B) the Governor of the State in which such agency is located has certified the need for disaster assistance under this section, and has given assurance of expenditure of a reasonable amount of the funds of the government of such State, or of any political subdivision thereof, for the same or similar purposes with respect to such catastrophe, and if the Commissioner determines with respect to such local educational agency that— "(2) such agency is making a reasonable tax effort and is exercising due diligence in availing itself of State and other financial assistance, but as a, result of such major disaster it is unable to secure sufficient funds to meet the cost of providing free public education for the children attending the schools of such agency, and "(3) to the extent that the operation of private elementary and secondary schools in the school attendance area of such local educational agency has been disrupted or impaired by such disaster, such local educational agency has made provision for the conduct of educational programs under public auspices and administration in which children enrolled in such private elementary and secondary schools may attend and participate: Provided, That nothing contained in this Act shall be construed to authorize the making of any payment under this Act for religious worship or instruction, the Commissioner may provide to such agency the additional assistance necessary to provide free public education to the children attending the schools of such agency, upon such terms and in such amounte (subject to the provisions of this section) as the Commissioner may consider to be in the public interest. Such additional assistance may be provided for a period not greater than a five fiscal year period beginning with the fiscal year in which the President has determined that such area suffered a major disaster. The amount so provided for any fiscal year shall not exceed the amount which the Commissioner determines to be necessary to enable such agency, with the State, local, and other Federal funds available to it for such purpose, to provide a level of education equivalent to that maintained in the schools of such agency during the last full fiscal year prior to the occurrence of such major disaster, taking into account the additional costs reasonably necessary to carry out the provisions of subparagraph (3) of this section. The amount, if any, so provided for the second, third, and fourth fiscal years following the fiscal year in which the President determined that such area has suffered a major disaster shall not exceed Y5 per centum, 50 per centum, and 25 per centum, respectively, of the amount so provided for the first fiscal year following such determination. Replacement of "(b) I n addition to and apart from the funds provided under subsuppiies, etc. section (a), the Commissioner is authorized to provide to such agency

Appropriation.

an amount which he determines to be necessary to replace instructional and maintenance supplies, equipment, and materials (including textbooks) destroyed or seriously damaged as a result of such major disaster, and to lease or otherwise provide (other than by acquisition of land or erection of facilities) school and cafeteria facilities needed to replace temporarily such facilities which have been made unavailable as a result of the major disaster. "((>) There Is hereby authorized to be appropriated for each fiscal year such amounts as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this section. Pending such appropriation, the Commissioner may expend (without regard to subsections (a) and (e) of section 3679 of

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