Ross Ushers FEMA Bill Through House; Passes by Unanimous Consent, Heads to Senate for Final Approval

Press Release

Ross Ushers FEMA Bill Through House; Passes by Unanimous Consent, Heads to Senate for Final Approval

U.S. Representative Mike Ross (AR-04) today worked with House leaders to pass legislation by unanimous consent requiring FEMA to act on the thousands of manufactured homes it is storing in Hope, Ark., and across the country.

Ross helped pass an amended version of the FEMA Accountability Act of 2008, which contained language from the bill he introduced in December 2007 as a part of H.R. 4830. The legislation now heads to the Senate for final approval, where, if passed, it will be sent to the President for signature. Ross has been working closely with the House Transportation Committee and House leadership to pass this legislation, doing so on the last day of this session.

"This bill requires FEMA to quickly and fairly address the abundance of surplus temporary housing units stored by the federal government at taxpayer expense," said Ross. "Families all over the nation are in desperate need of housing and this legislation requires FEMA to devise a plan to distribute excess temporary housing units that have been deemed safe and ready to use."

The FEMA Accountability Act of 2008 gives FEMA three months to determine the number of housing it needs on hand to shelter future disaster victims; six months to provide a plan to permanently store the units it plans to keep; sell usable surplus units and dispose the rest; nine months to implement this plan; and, one year to report the status to Congress.

"Currently, there are thousands of brand new, fully furnished manufactured homes in Hope, Arkansas, and this bill will create a plan to ensure they go to the families that need them most," said Ross. "I applaud Sen. Pryor on his efforts in the Senate and I have worked diligently with House leaders and Transportation Committee Chairman Oberstar to ensure this bill passed the House in the closing hours of this very busy session."

The majority of manufactured homes stored in Hope and other locations in the country were originally purchased after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in 2005.

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