[StBernard] [LANDRIEU] BREAKING NEWS: Landrieu Secures $3 Billion for Road Home Program

Westley Annis Westley at da-parish.com
Tue Nov 6 21:13:36 EST 2007


*** BREAKING NEWS ***

Landrieu Secures $3 Billion for Road Home Program
Rebuilding funds help cover all Katrina- and Rita-affected

Louisiana homeowners with wind or water damage.



WASHINGTON - United States Senator Mary L. Landrieu, D-La., today announced
that congressional negotiators have agreed to provide an additional $3
billion for Louisiana's Road Home program in a pending defense bill. Sen.
Landrieu worked closely with Appropriations Committee Chairman Robert Byrd,
D-W.V., Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations
Subcommittee Chairman Patty Murray, D-Wash., and other committee colleagues
to secure the funds, which help close an estimated $3 to 4.5 billion
shortfall in the post-hurricane housing rebuilding program.

"This support for the Road Home is an encouraging reflection of Congress'
commitment to fully funding Louisiana's rebuilding from the 2005 hurricanes
and levee failures," said Sen. Landrieu. "It is a shot in the arm for our
recovery, and with the holidays approaching, provides much-needed peace of
mind to those fearing the Road Home would be closed to them.

"A fundamental key to the recovery of the Gulf Coast is ensuring
Louisiana's homeowners the availability of resources they need to rebuild
their homes and communities," Chairman Byrd said. "The Road Home program is
an example of the many steps Congress is taking to help the region through
its long-term recovery. The people of Louisiana have a strong champion in
Senator Landrieu, and I remain committed to working with her to restore the
Gulf Coast."

"The delivery of these critical dollars means a renewed commitment to
bringing people home and bringing vitality back to the state Louisiana. We
all know that housing is the critical first step to the regrowth and renewal
of any community," said Sen. Murray, a member of the Senate Democratic
Leadership. "I am pleased to have worked with Senator Landrieu on this
critical issue - this victory would not have been possible without her
passion and commitment to the people of Louisiana."

The Fiscal Year 2008 Defense Appropriations Conference Report, a compromise
between funding bills passed by the Senate and House of Representatives
earlier this year, now returns to the floor to be passed in each chamber
before going to the President for his signature. However, congressional
Republicans have indicated that they may attempt to block the legislation on
the floor.

"Senators Byrd and Murray and the Senate Leadership have been essential
partners in this effort, standing with Louisiana and the hundreds of
thousands of homeowners who need our support," Sen. Landrieu said. "I urge
my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to follow this example, and allow
this vital measure to move forward by rejecting the partisanship that has
entangled past hurricane recovery efforts."

This funding will help Louisiana fully implement the Road Home program by
continuing to cover both water and wind damage resulting from hurricanes
Katrina and Rita in 2005. While Bush Administration officials have recently
blamed the inclusion of wind-damaged homes for the program's shortfall, the
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) originally approved
coverage when the Road Home was first developed. Without this coverage,
thousands of Rita-affected homeowners would be left out of the rebuilding
program.

An additional $1.17 billion could be made available to the program by
providing greater flexibility for the state's use of Hazard Mitigation Grant
Program (HMGP) funds. Responding to pressure from Sen. Landrieu and the
media, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has taken steps to
make these funds available administratively.

The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in August
passed the SMART RESPONSE Act, introduced by Sen. Landrieu, which would
specifically allow the $1.17 billion in HMGP funds to be used for the Road
Home. That bill is pending floor action.

"Today's agreement is a major step forward, but there is still much work
left to do," Sen. Landrieu said. "I will continue to fight to ensure that
every penny due Louisiana's recovery is made available, and not trapped
behind partisan games or federal bureaucracy."

The Road Home program was developed after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita by
Louisiana Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco and the Louisiana Recovery
Authority (LRA) in negotiations with the White House and Gulf Coast Recovery
Coordinator Donald Powell. It provides rebuilding grants of up to $150,000
per home and was funded through $8.1 billion in federal Community
Development Block Grants provided by emergency supplemental appropriations
bills.

"This money is vital to giving our citizens the resources they need to
rebuild," Governor Blanco said. "Now is not a time for partisanship. The
people of Louisiana need our Delegation in Washington to stand together and
fight for their people. I applaud Senator Landrieu's continued efforts, the
Congressional Leadership has committed to meeting our ongoing recovery needs
and I ask that Congress join this effort to deliver on this federal
promise."

"Senator Landrieu has given us another reason to be grateful this
Thanksgiving," said Dr. Norman C. Francis, Chairman of the Louisiana
Recovery Authority. "We have been blessed by the support we've received
from the American people and their representatives in Congress - and this
announcement to ensure that all of our families can rebuild their homes and
their lives couldn't have come at a better time or season. On behalf of all
Louisianians, we again offer our heartfelt appreciation for having another
reason to express our gratitude this holiday."

The Republican-controlled Congress in 2005 and 2006 capped Louisiana's share
of the federal funding at 54 percent, despite having endured more than 70
percent of the disaster's damage.

As of October 25, a total of 185,895 applications to the Road Home had been
recorded, with an average of $67,358 having been disbursed to 66,314
homeowners.

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