Durbin Unveils Package of Legislation to Aid Victims of Hurricane Katrina

DURBIN UNVEILS PACKAGE OF LEGISLATION TO AID VICTIMS OF HURRICANE KATRINA

Today, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), unveiled a package of legislation designed to provide assistance to the victims of Hurricane Katrina and to begin to address some of the medium- and long-range efforts which are needed in that region.

"Hurricane Katrina has redrawn the map of the Gulf Coast. I believe it should also redraw our priorities in Washington. We must deal with two challenges - dealing with the clean-up and recovery efforts of this disaster and making sure we are prepared to meet the challenges of the next flood, the next hurricane, the next disaster. These proposals move us forward in both of those areas," said Durbin.

This legislative package offers the following assistance:

# Legislation to establish standing authority for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to contract for cargo and passenger aircraft in order to move people and materials during a disaster; this new program would be known as the Emergency Reserve Air Fleet. This measure is modeled after the compact that the airline industry has with the U.S. Department of Defense that is used in times of military emergencies, known as the Civil Reserve Air Fleet. The Emergency Reserve Air Fleet is designed to quickly mobilize our nation's airlift resources to meet rescue, relief and recovery needs in times of national disasters.

# Legislation providing medical professionals serving Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP patients to practice for 90-days while seeking state licensure. To be eligible, practitioners must have a valid license from one of the states affected by the hurricane, be in good standing in the state, have applied for a license in their new state, and not affirmatively be barred from practicing in that State. (The Department of Health and Human Services waived licensure requirements for health care professionals answering the call for assistance in the hurricane damaged areas so they could immediately help disaster victims. Now that most people have been evacuated, there are thousands of medical professionals who are displaced across the country. Many are already looking for employment in the states to which they were evacuated. Licensing requirements in their new locations may delay their ability to get back to work.) This measure has been endorsed by the American Health Care Association, the Acute Long-term Hospital Association, the Long-term Care Pharmacy Alliance and the American Nurses Association.

# This legislation would establish a national strategic gasoline reserve that would be used in times of emergency and/or unforeseen events that causes shortage of gasoline/refined product supply and extreme price volatility. The bill will determine the amount of gasoline to be held in reserve, provide guidelines by which the Secretary may release this product and conditions for keeping the reserve filled. The Strategic Petroleum Reserve is designed to augment short crude oil supplies during an international market shortage; this gasoline reserve would help fill the gap in cases such as Katrina where the capacity to refine crude oil into gasoline is compromised despite adequate supplies of crude oil.

# Legislation that will direct grants to states or jurisdictions for planning and conducting mass evacuation simulations in urban areas. While evacuation orders for Katrina were successful in moving approximately three fourths of the population out of New Orleans, it is clear that many people in the city may have lacked the resources to evacuate, and these grants will allow state and local governments to develop the capability to get everyone out regardless of their economic situation.

# Legislation that would increase the fuel efficiency standards for passenger cars to 40 miles a gallon by 2016 and light trucks and vans to 27.5 miles a gallon by 2016. Durbin's proposal would help cut oil imports by 40% in the next 20 years and bring stability to the skyrocketing price of gasoline.

# Legislation that will ensure preference in hiring will be given to workers that have been displaced by Hurricane Katrina in the rebuilding of the same areas. The measure would also provide incentives for grants that would go directly to state and local governments, rather than private contractors, in order to facilitate the rebuilding of the Gulf Coast region impacted by Hurricane Katrina. The goal of this provision is to maximize the jobs available to those directly affected by the hurricane and to minimize the outsourcing of reconstruction efforts to politically tied private contractors from outside the region.

http://durbin.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=245684&&