CBC's Comprehensive Katrina Relief Bill Applauded
Feature Story by Tyler Lewis - 12/7/2005
The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) has introduced omnibus Katrina relief legislation that civil rights groups say hits the major issues affecting the Gulf Coast and victims of the hurricane.All 42 members of the CBC introduced the Hurricane Katrina Recovery, Reclamation, Restoration, Reconstruction and Reunion Act of 2005 (HR 4197) on November 3, which addresses the two objectives members have considered most important - rebuilding the Gulf Coast and reuniting families that had been separated after the hurricane.
Representatives from civil rights groups supporting HR 4197 gathered on November 10 with members of the CBC to urge swift passage of the bill. "HR 4197 is clearly the necessary legislative response to the comprehensive needs of hundreds of thousands of Americans of all races throughout the Gulf Coast region," said NAACP President Bruce Gordon.
The bill would provide money to rebuild local infrastructure in the Gulf Coast including housing, schools and hospitals; provide for federal payment of a year's worth of health insurance and coverage of unemployment benefits for 26 weeks; and provide money to schools in areas where evacuees have relocated.
"There is nothing in this bill that is inconsistent with what the president said when he addressed the nation from ... New Orleans in September," said Rep. Melvin Watt, D. N.C., in a Washington Times article.
Early relief-related actions, such as waivers of prevailing wage requirements and requirements that federal contractors have affirmative action plans, stirred up controversy in that they thrust much of the burden on the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
HR 4197 reinstates Davis-Bacon wage requirements, affirmative action requirements and requires financial incentives to meet goals for minority and small businesses participating in the rebuilding efforts. It also provides tax credits up to $5,000 for displaced victims and exempts them from most provisions of the current bankruptcy reform law.
"This legislation offers citizens of the Gulf Coast the opportunity for a voice and a role in the reconstruction of their communities and insures that this work can be done in a safe environment for the prevailing wage. The legislation will effectively assist citizens of the Gulf Coast region to rebuild their lives," said AFL-CIO President John Sweeney.
The bill also includes environmental provisions governing cleanup funding for schools; voting rights guarantees; and a victim restoration fund modeled after the fund established post-9/11.
The National Urban League drafted a "Katrina Bill of Rights" in the aftermath of the hurricane, which provided guidelines for relief efforts that take into account the needs of Gulf Coast. "We are gratified that HR 4197 includes many of the recommendations contained in the Katrina Bill of Rights," said Mark H. Morial, president of the National Urban League.
