HOMELAND SECURITY COMMITTEE APPROVES SENATORS COLLINS, LIEBERMAN LEGISLATION TO IMPLEMENT MANY OF THE FINDINGS OF THE HURRICANE KATRINA REPORT AND A BILL TO BRING MORE TRANSPARENCY TO FEDERAL SPENDING
Washington, D.C. – The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee has approved legislation authored by Chairman Susan Collins (R-ME) and Ranking Member Joe Lieberman (D-CT) that would reform our emergency management system to enable it to better prepare for and respond to a disaster. Entitled the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act, the bill would implement many of the findings of the Committee's Hurricane Katrina report, including reconstituting FEMA, improving emergency staffing, enhancing planning and preparedness, facilitating better communication and interoperability capabilities among emergency responders, and reducing waste, fraud, and abuse.
Additionally, the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act was also approved by the Committee to ensure that state and local emergency preparedness operational plans address the needs of individuals with household pets and service animals following a major disaster or emergency. The Committee also approved the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act, which would require the federal government to create and maintain a searchable website where the public can view information how federal funds are spent. In addition, the Committee approved the Federal and District of Columbia Government Real Property Act and a number of nominations and postal naming bills. The Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act addresses shortcomings in each of the vital preparation and response areas determined by the Committee’s eight-month investigation into Hurricane Katrina as necessitating congressional action. While some of the 88 recommendations that flowed from this investigation can be adopted by administrative action, the Post- Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act comprises important steps that only Congress can take. "Hurricane Katrina showed us in tragic terms that we need a new way to conduct disaster mitigation, preparation, response, and recovery efforts before and following a catastrophe. If we leave untouched the gaps, the confusions, and the missteps revealed during Katrina, we will see more unnecessary human suffering and destruction of communities. Our bill puts forth a careful and - COMMITTEE MARK UP, 2 – comprehensive program for improvement of our emergency management system. This is no academic exercise; it is a concrete, nuts and bolts plan designed to rebuild and strengthen a broken system," said Senator Collins. LIEBERMAN QUOTE The Senate has already adopted a major element of the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act. On July 11, Senators Collins and Lieberman offered an amendment to the Homeland Security Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2007 to keep FEMA an independent agency within the Department of Homeland Security, similar to the Coast Guard. The measure was approved by the full Senate by a vote of 87-11. Key components of Katrina legislation include: · Strengthens FEMA and elevates it within DHS, restoring its preparedness authority and protecting it from departmental reorganizations that could erode its budget and assets. · Keeps FEMA within DHS, preventing the need for DHS to re-create a similar terror-response capability. · Improves contact and coordination among federal, state, and local agencies by strengthening the current 10-region structure of FEMA by providing for standing, multi-agency federal strike teams that will be ready to act and deploy in a region they will already know and understand before a disaster occurs. · Improves the agency’s communications both organizationally and technically by designating the Administrator of the FEMA as the principal advisor to the President on emergency-management issues. The bill consolidates several communications programs within a new Office of Emergency Communications within FEMA, which will devise a national emergency-communications strategy, coordinate grants for interoperable communications, and regularly assess the operability and interoperability of the communication systems that are essential for disaster response. · Directs the federal government to develop and maintain a national disaster-recovery strategy in coordination with the state and local governments, enhancing its emergency management role. · Provides more and better-trained emergency professionals, and creates a National Homeland Security Academy that will offer both classroom and distance-learning instruction and training to DHS, state, and local homeland-security professionals. - MORE - - COMMITTEE MARK UP, 3 - · Implements a variety of measures to reduce the waste, fraud, and abuse. The bill directs DHS to identify emergency-response requirements that can be contracted in advance with pre-screened vendors, so that vital commodities and services can be secured and delivered promptly. The bill also imposes civil and criminal penalties for misrepresentation of assistance needs. In addition, the Committee approved the following bills: · S 2590, the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 · S 1838, the Federal District of Columbia Government Real Property Act of 2005 · S. 3613, to designate the facility of the USPS located at 2951 New York Highway 43 in Averill Park, New York, as the “Major George Quamo Post Office Building;” · H.R. 4246, to designate the facility of the USPS located at 8135 Forest Lane in Dallas, Texas, as the “Dr. Robert E. Price Post Office Building;” · H.R. 4962, to designate the facility of the U.S. Postal Service located at 100 Pitcher Street in Utica, New York, as the “Captain George A. Wood Post Office Building;” · H.R. 5104, to designate the facility of the USPS located at 1750 16th Street South in St. Petersburg, Florida, as the “Morris W. Milton Post Office;” · H.R. 5169, to designate the facility of the USPS located at 1310 Highway 64 NW in Ramsey, Indiana, as the “Wilfred Edward ‘Cousin Willie’ Sieg, Sr. Post Office;” · H.R. 5540, to designate the facility of the USPS located at 217 Southeast 2nd Street in Dimmitt, Texas, as the “Sergeant Jacob Dan Dones Post Office;” · S. 2555, to designate the facility of the U.S. Postal Service located at 2633 11th Street in Rock Island, Illinois, as the “Lane Evans Post Office Building;” · S. 2719/H.R. 5107, to designate the facility of the U.S. Postal Service located at 1400 West Jordan Street in Pensacola, Florida, as the “Earl D. Hutto Post Office Building;” · H.R. 4646, to designate the facility of the U.S. Postal Service located at 7320 Reseda Boulevard in Reseda, California, as the “Coach John Wooden Post Office Building;” · H.R. 4811, to designate the facility of the U.S. Postal Service located at 215 West Industrial Park Road in Harrison, Arkansas, as the “John Paul Hammerschmidt Post Office Building.” - MORE - – COMMITTEE MARK UP, 4 – · Paul A. Denett to be Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy, Office of Management and Budget; · The Honorable Anna Blackburne-Rigsby to be Associate Judge, District of Columbia Court of Appeals; · Phyllis D. Thompson to be Associate Judge, District of Columbia Court of Appeals; · Jennifer M. Anderson to be Associate Judge, Superior Court of the District of Columbia; · The Honorable Mickey D. Barnett to be Governor, U.S. Postal Service; · Katherine C. Tobin to be Governor, U.S. Postal Service;
Additionally, the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act was also approved by the Committee to ensure that state and local emergency preparedness operational plans address the needs of individuals with household pets and service animals following a major disaster or emergency. The Committee also approved the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act, which would require the federal government to create and maintain a searchable website where the public can view information how federal funds are spent. In addition, the Committee approved the Federal and District of Columbia Government Real Property Act and a number of nominations and postal naming bills. The Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act addresses shortcomings in each of the vital preparation and response areas determined by the Committee’s eight-month investigation into Hurricane Katrina as necessitating congressional action. While some of the 88 recommendations that flowed from this investigation can be adopted by administrative action, the Post- Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act comprises important steps that only Congress can take. "Hurricane Katrina showed us in tragic terms that we need a new way to conduct disaster mitigation, preparation, response, and recovery efforts before and following a catastrophe. If we leave untouched the gaps, the confusions, and the missteps revealed during Katrina, we will see more unnecessary human suffering and destruction of communities. Our bill puts forth a careful and - COMMITTEE MARK UP, 2 – comprehensive program for improvement of our emergency management system. This is no academic exercise; it is a concrete, nuts and bolts plan designed to rebuild and strengthen a broken system," said Senator Collins. LIEBERMAN QUOTE The Senate has already adopted a major element of the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act. On July 11, Senators Collins and Lieberman offered an amendment to the Homeland Security Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2007 to keep FEMA an independent agency within the Department of Homeland Security, similar to the Coast Guard. The measure was approved by the full Senate by a vote of 87-11. Key components of Katrina legislation include: · Strengthens FEMA and elevates it within DHS, restoring its preparedness authority and protecting it from departmental reorganizations that could erode its budget and assets. · Keeps FEMA within DHS, preventing the need for DHS to re-create a similar terror-response capability. · Improves contact and coordination among federal, state, and local agencies by strengthening the current 10-region structure of FEMA by providing for standing, multi-agency federal strike teams that will be ready to act and deploy in a region they will already know and understand before a disaster occurs. · Improves the agency’s communications both organizationally and technically by designating the Administrator of the FEMA as the principal advisor to the President on emergency-management issues. The bill consolidates several communications programs within a new Office of Emergency Communications within FEMA, which will devise a national emergency-communications strategy, coordinate grants for interoperable communications, and regularly assess the operability and interoperability of the communication systems that are essential for disaster response. · Directs the federal government to develop and maintain a national disaster-recovery strategy in coordination with the state and local governments, enhancing its emergency management role. · Provides more and better-trained emergency professionals, and creates a National Homeland Security Academy that will offer both classroom and distance-learning instruction and training to DHS, state, and local homeland-security professionals. - MORE - - COMMITTEE MARK UP, 3 - · Implements a variety of measures to reduce the waste, fraud, and abuse. The bill directs DHS to identify emergency-response requirements that can be contracted in advance with pre-screened vendors, so that vital commodities and services can be secured and delivered promptly. The bill also imposes civil and criminal penalties for misrepresentation of assistance needs. In addition, the Committee approved the following bills: · S 2590, the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 · S 1838, the Federal District of Columbia Government Real Property Act of 2005 · S. 3613, to designate the facility of the USPS located at 2951 New York Highway 43 in Averill Park, New York, as the “Major George Quamo Post Office Building;” · H.R. 4246, to designate the facility of the USPS located at 8135 Forest Lane in Dallas, Texas, as the “Dr. Robert E. Price Post Office Building;” · H.R. 4962, to designate the facility of the U.S. Postal Service located at 100 Pitcher Street in Utica, New York, as the “Captain George A. Wood Post Office Building;” · H.R. 5104, to designate the facility of the USPS located at 1750 16th Street South in St. Petersburg, Florida, as the “Morris W. Milton Post Office;” · H.R. 5169, to designate the facility of the USPS located at 1310 Highway 64 NW in Ramsey, Indiana, as the “Wilfred Edward ‘Cousin Willie’ Sieg, Sr. Post Office;” · H.R. 5540, to designate the facility of the USPS located at 217 Southeast 2nd Street in Dimmitt, Texas, as the “Sergeant Jacob Dan Dones Post Office;” · S. 2555, to designate the facility of the U.S. Postal Service located at 2633 11th Street in Rock Island, Illinois, as the “Lane Evans Post Office Building;” · S. 2719/H.R. 5107, to designate the facility of the U.S. Postal Service located at 1400 West Jordan Street in Pensacola, Florida, as the “Earl D. Hutto Post Office Building;” · H.R. 4646, to designate the facility of the U.S. Postal Service located at 7320 Reseda Boulevard in Reseda, California, as the “Coach John Wooden Post Office Building;” · H.R. 4811, to designate the facility of the U.S. Postal Service located at 215 West Industrial Park Road in Harrison, Arkansas, as the “John Paul Hammerschmidt Post Office Building.” - MORE - – COMMITTEE MARK UP, 4 – · Paul A. Denett to be Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy, Office of Management and Budget; · The Honorable Anna Blackburne-Rigsby to be Associate Judge, District of Columbia Court of Appeals; · Phyllis D. Thompson to be Associate Judge, District of Columbia Court of Appeals; · Jennifer M. Anderson to be Associate Judge, Superior Court of the District of Columbia; · The Honorable Mickey D. Barnett to be Governor, U.S. Postal Service; · Katherine C. Tobin to be Governor, U.S. Postal Service;
- Ellen C. Williams to be Governor, U.S. Postal Service.
