[StBernard] Landrieu calls for Republicans to drop objections to hurricane amendments

[Westley Annis]

WASHINGTON - Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-New Orleans, updated the status of three
amendments she says will right hurricane funding rules unfair to Louisiana.
She has introduced the amendments to the 9/11 Commission bill. The
amendments have been met with opposition by some Republican senators, who
object to having an up-or-down vote on the measure, she said. In response,
Landrieu objected to holding votes on other amendments until the objections
to her amendments are dropped. 
 
The three amendments are critical to Louisiana recovery in the aftermath of
hurricanes Rita and Katrina, Landrieu said. The FAIR Funding Amendment,
Senate Amendment 295, would waive for Katrina- and Rita-affected
communities' provisions of the Robert T. Stafford Act that require
localities to match 10 percent of the cost for disaster recovery projects
before the remaining 90 percent is filled by the federal government. 
  
The Disaster Loan Fairness Amendment, Senate Amendment 296, makes Katrina-
and Rita-affected Gulf Coast states eligible for the same Community Disaster
Loan forgiveness made available to all other disaster-stricken communities. 
  
The Critical Levee Infrastructure Amendment, Senate Amendment 324, would
build upon the 9/11 Commission's recommendations regarding the protection of
critical national infrastructure by extending the designation to include the
15,000 miles of levees that protect lives and communities across America.