WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Senators Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ), Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) issued the following statement after the House of Representatives passed a $50.6 billion Sandy disaster relief bill. Lautenberg, Schumer, Menendez and Gillibrand were main co-authors of the Senate's $60.4 billion emergency supplemental funding bill to bring relief to residents, homeowners, businesses, and local governments, which passed last year.

"It's great news for families, communities and small businesses in our region that the House – after weeks of delay - finally passed an emergency relief bill for Superstorm Sandy. Our region extends a helping hand any time another community suffers from a major disaster, and we're pleased that the House voted to provide this emergency relief for New Jersey and New York. As we rebuild, we are committed to making smart investments to ensure that our transportation networks, beach communities, businesses and local neighborhoods can rebuild stronger so that they are better prepared for future storms."

On January 6th, President Obama signed a $9.7 billion flood insurance bill passed by Congress that allowed the National Flood Insurance Program to provide flood insurance payments. This legislation was part of the original comprehensive Sandy aid bill passed by the Senate.

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