[StBernard] Dozens of hurricane-related bills on tap

[Westley Annis]

Storm reform is popular in Congress 
 
Tuesday, January 30, 2007 
 
By Bruce Alpert
 
WASHINGTON -- Legislation aimed at addressing the problems exposed by
Hurricane Katrina has become a hot topic in the new Congress with more than
35 bills introduced so far, ranging from overhaul of the Small Business
Administration and Federal Emergency Management Agency to appointment of a
presidential commission to review the government's response to the storm and
its aftermath. 
 
It's difficult to handicap the bills' chances. But the new Democratic
leadership of the House and Senate say they are committed to improving the
disaster loan process by the SBA, making FEMA more responsive, approving
critical Corps of Engineers flood-control and hurricane-protection work, and
increasing the availability of rental housing in New Orleans. 
Some proposals, such as a presidential commission to investigate Hurricane
Katrina, are long shots. 
 
Congress typically approves only about 5 percent to 6 percent of the bills
introduced during a typical session. 
 
Although the 2005 hurricanes got no mention in President Bush's State of the
Union message last week, Donald Powell, the president's coordinator of Gulf
Coast recovery, said Monday that Bush remains committed to rebuilding the
region "stronger and better than it was before Katrina and Rita." He added
that it will take a "long time" to finish the work, and so far the
administration hasn't embraced any of the bills related to Hurricane
Katrina, which slammed into Louisiana and Mississippi in August 2005. 
 
Some of the measures 
 
Here's a sampling of some of the bills introduced during the opening weeks
of the 110th Congress. The measures would: 
 
-- Establish a presidential commission to chronicle the trajectory of
Hurricane Katrina, and the responses made by federal state and local
government, estimate the loss of life and physical and structural damage,
and make recommendations for corrective actions. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee,
D-Texas., the bill's sponsor, said a commission, with subpoena power, could
issue a credible report that will help avert failures the next time
government faces a disaster like Katrina. 
 
-- Require the Federal Emergency Management Agency to forgive $570 million
in disaster loans given to communities such as New Orleans, which needed the
cash to continue providing public services at a time tax bases were
decimated by hurricane damage. In past disasters, many such loans were
forgiven, but the previous GOP-led Congress insisted that the Katrina and
Rita loans be repaid. 
 
-- Require the Small Business Administration to extend the time in which a
disadvantaged small business affected by a catastrophic event such as
Hurricane Katrina has to participate in a federally sponsored business
development program to 18 months. Rep. William Jefferson, D-New Orleans,
said many businesses were forced to shut down, or scale back operations
after Katrina, and shouldn't be barred from continuing in SBA programs when
they are ready to do so. 
 
Establish a revamped process for handling SBA disaster loans, including
increased use of private contractors, so that future applicants don't face
the huge delays encountered by Katrina victims along the Gulf Coast.
 
-- Authorize Army Corps of Engineers work on the Morganza to the Gulf
hurricane protection project for the Louisiana coast and the closure of the
Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet, blamed for adding to the storm surge that
inundated New Orleans. 
 
-- Establish a commission on "catastrophic disaster risk and insurance" to
ensure that residents and businesses along the Gulf Coast and other
vulnerable communities have continued access to insurance.
 
-- Encourage nationwide availability of a 211 telephone service in which
volunteers and those who need volunteer help can learn of opportunities by
dialing the three-digit number. The bill's sponsor, Rep. Anna Eshoo,
D-Calif., said the service can provide information about the availability of
food, shelter and vital services during emergencies such as Katrina and
Rita, especially when 911 systems are down. 
Other proposals 
 
Proposed resolutions would: 
 
-- Recognize the "need for the federal government to provide financial
assistance" to community development corporations so they can work to
increase economic development, affordable housing production and job
creation, particularly after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. 
 
-- Recognize the accomplishments of Max Mayfield, retired director of the
National Hurricane Center's Tropical Prediction Center, for his urgent
warnings before Katrina that the storm was indeed the "Big One" that New
Orleans had feared for decades. 
 
Some bills are still being drafted, including legislation by the House
Financial Services Committee that would use profits from government-backed
mortgage buyers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac for rebuilding affordable rental
housing in New Orleans. Another bill expected to be reintroduced soon, after
it failed to pass last year, would authorize dozens of water projects,
including more than $1 billion worth of flood-control and
hurricane-protection work in Louisiana. 
 
Other bills were introduced to deal with what some members called excessive
federal spending on Hurricane Katrina and other disasters. Rep. Tom Feeney,
R-Fla., would bar the Federal Emergency Management Agency from using funds
for crisis counseling, recreation or self-esteem-building classes.