[StBernard] Levees and Homes top priority on Governor Blancos recovery agenda

[Westley Annis]

Levees and Homes top priority on Governor Blanco's recovery agenda Governor
to address U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations 

BATON ROUGE-Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco arrives in Washington, D.C.
this evening to urge Congress to support funding for levees and housing
promised in President George W. Bush's Supplemental Appropriations request.
Governor Blanco testifies before the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations
on Tuesday, March 7, at 9:30 a.m. in the Dirksen Senate Office Building,
Room 106. 

President Bush has proposed $1.4 billion to strengthen levees that protect
southeast Louisiana citizens and $4.2 billion in Community Development Block
Grants (CDBG) for homeowners who want to return home. 

"The Supplemental funding provides our road home," said Governor Blanco. "It
is our ticket to rebuild, recover, and resume our productive place in our
nation's economy. It enables us to implement our housing plan." 

In making her appeal for continued federal support tomorrow, Governor Blanco
will tell the committee that during the last special session of the state
Legislature, lawmakers reformed the 100-year old system of levee board
oversight and maintenance, eliminating opportunities for corruption and
cronyism. The reorganization consolidated the region's levee boards into
two, one on the East Bank and one on the West Bank of the Mississippi river,
and mandates that certain appointments are professionals in the related
fields of engineering, hydrology or geology. 

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita displaced more than 780,000 people and destroyed
the homes of over 200,000 families. Governor Blanco will assure the
committee that the additional $4.2 billion in CDBG funding will be spent on
critical housing needs. If Congress approves the White House request,
Governor Blanco will have the ability to fully fund The Road Home housing
plan. Combined with the $6.2 billion in CDBG funds appropriated by Congress
last year, The Road Home will disburse $12.1 billion in housing and hazard
mitigation funding in four key areas: 

*	$7.5 billion to owner-occupied housing; 
*	$1.7 billion to affordable rental properties 
*	$2.4 billion to infrastructure; and 
*	$500 million to economic development. 

"I will let Congress know that these funds will be held to the highest
standards of accountability," said Governor Blanco. "We have retained
Deloitte & Touche to thoroughly audit our investment of taxpayers' money. We
are determined to be responsible stewards of the federal investment in our
recovery." 

Governor Blanco will also remind Congress that in the six months after
Katrina, and the five months after Rita, Louisiana is making steady progress
in significant areas: 

*	Strengthened Louisiana's ethics laws to require disclosure of
recovery-related contracts; 
*	Addressed Louisiana's budget shortfall by cutting $650 million in
government spending; 
*	Enacted a state building code to guarantee safer homes and
buildings; 
*	Conducting a comprehensive review of lessons learned and making
necessary changes to our emergency preparedness plans; and 
*	Taking over the failing New Orleans schools to create a school
system that recognizes our children's potential 

"Louisiana is turning the corner and moving towards a safer, stronger, and
brighter future," said Governor Blanco. "With the passage of the
supplemental funding, I predict the sounds of hammers and saws will ring
through all of our communities as our homes are rebuilt." 

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