[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 356 Introduced in House (IH)]







109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. CON. RES. 356

Calling upon the President to meet with a joint session of Congress to 
   discuss the Government's plan for post-Hurricane Katrina recovery 
                                efforts.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 13, 2006

Ms. Waters (for herself, Mrs. Jones of Ohio, Mr. Bishop of Georgia, Ms. 
 Corrine Brown of Florida, Mr. Rangel, Mr. Rush, Mr. Lewis of Georgia, 
  Ms. Lee, Mr. Owens, Mrs. Christensen, Mr. Jefferson, Mr. Payne, Mr. 
Clyburn, Ms. Watson, Mr. Scott of Virginia, Mr. Meek of Florida, Mr. Al 
      Green of Texas, Ms. Jackson-Lee of Texas, Mr. Melancon, Mr. 
     Abercrombie, Mr. Honda, and Mr. Watt) submitted the following 
     concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
                   Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
Calling upon the President to meet with a joint session of Congress to 
   discuss the Government's plan for post-Hurricane Katrina recovery 
                                efforts.

Whereas on August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina, a category 5 hurricane, hit an 
        area spanning 90,000 miles in the States of Louisiana, Mississippi, and 
        Alabama;
Whereas Hurricane Katrina has caused the deaths of more than 1,325 individuals, 
        and caused more than 1,000,000 individuals to be displaced from their 
        primary residences;
Whereas Hurricane Katrina has resulted in one of the largest natural disaster 
        relief and recovery operations in United States history;
Whereas millions of dollars appropriated for Hurricane Katrina relief activities 
        have been wasted due to poor Federal financial controls;
Whereas the Government Accountability Office and both chambers of Congress have 
        independently investigated and determined that there were major flaws in 
        the Federal response to Hurricane Katrina;
Whereas the Government Accountability Office has found that there was a lack of 
        clear and decisive leadership and an absence of detailed plans following 
        Hurricane Katrina;
Whereas the Government Accountability Office has identified a host of needed 
        improvements in a variety of Government programs related to Hurricane 
        Katrina and other natural disasters;
Whereas the House of Representative's Select Bipartisan Committee to Investigate 
        the Preparation for and Response to Hurricane Katrina found more than 90 
        flaws in the post-Katrina response;
Whereas the Secretary of Homeland Security has been the subject of severe 
        criticism;
Whereas more than 5 months after Hurricane Katrina, there continues to be 
        massive residential, commercial, and emotional destruction, with 
        thousands of evacuees living in tents, cars, and shelters; sewage 
        seeping from the ground; inoperable telecommunications; lack of 
        electricity; and water and sediment contamination from toxic materials 
        released in the floodwaters;
Whereas there continues to exist a lack of coordination at the Federal level, as 
        well as a clear plan for rebuilding the levee system in a manner that 
        will effectively protect Louisiana residents in future hurricane 
        seasons;
Whereas the President has made broad promises regarding recovery efforts without 
        specifically detailing the plan that is in place and the dates by which 
        steps must be taken;
Whereas requests for information from Members of Congress to administration 
        officials have received little or no response;
Whereas to prevent future vulnerability in the event of another natural or 
        manmade disaster, the United States is in need of a specific agenda for 
        the Nation's emergency preparedness, response, and recovery activities 
        that take into consideration the lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina; 
        and
Whereas substantial involvement by the President will be necessary to formulate 
        this agenda and to produce speedier, more effective results in the Gulf 
        Coast region: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That--
            (1) it is the sense of Congress that there is a need for a 
        swift, effective, and well-coordinated response to carry out 
        recovery efforts for individuals and areas affected by 
        Hurricane Katrina; and
            (2) Congress calls upon the President to meet with a joint 
        session of Congress to discuss the Government's plan for post-
        Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts.
                                 <all>