Major Norton Bill to Hasten Katrina Recovery Clears the House (10/29/07)

Washington, DC--Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), today managed on the House floor her bill to bring new federal, quick relief to New Orleans and other Gulf Coast areas ravaged by disastrous hurricanes two years ago, as the House approved the Norton bill by voice vote, on the suspension calendar this afternoon. HR 3247, the Katrina and Rita Recovery Facilitation Act of 2007, is a House leadership priority designed to provide additional federal relief for the continuing problems that make day-to-day life difficult for Gulf Coast residents and prevent them from returning home. The bill addresses problems and issues that are fully compatible with the Stafford Act, which dictates federal natural disaster assistance for state and local governments, but could not have been envisioned because of the unique scale and devastation of the disaster. Among the remedies in the bill is an increase in the federal contribution for public building and infrastructure construction projects from 75 percent to 90 percent. The bill also allows the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to use simplified procedures for approving recovery projects, and makes retroactive changes in Public Assistance Program under the Stafford Act. The bill gives FEMA greater leeway in resolving disputes and appeals for claims denied under this program, a major problem in the path of recovery.

Earlier this year, Norton got the bill passed by her Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management, which has jurisdiction over FEMA, and subsequently passed by the full Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. "FEMA will have little reason or excuse for failing to address Gulf region concerns more rapidly after the bill clears the Senate," Norton said. "We have heard New Orleans and the rest of the Gulf region and are responding with this bill. Our subcommittee will be vigilant in oversight to assure more rapid recovery in the Gulf as a result."