[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5547 Introduced in House (IH)]








109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5547

To direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish a Gulf Coast 
   Long-Term Recovery Office to administer amounts available to the 
Department for providing assistance to the residents of the Gulf Coast 
 region for recovering from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              June 7, 2006

  Mr. Jindal introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the 
    Committee on Homeland Security, for a period to be subsequently 
   determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
 provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish a Gulf Coast 
   Long-Term Recovery Office to administer amounts available to the 
Department for providing assistance to the residents of the Gulf Coast 
 region for recovering from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. GULF COAST LONG-TERM RECOVERY OFFICE.

    (a) Establishment.--The Secretary of Homeland Security shall 
establish in the Department of Homeland Security a Gulf Coast Long-Term 
Recovery Office to administer amounts available to the Department for 
providing assistance to the residents of the Gulf Coast region for 
recovering from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
    (b) Director.--The Office shall be headed by a Director, who shall 
be appointed by the Secretary of Homeland Security.
    (c) Responsibilities.--The Director of the Gulf Coast Long-Term 
Recovery Office shall work with State, local, and tribal governments, 
the private sector, and nongovernmental organizations, including faith-
based and other community humanitarian relief entities, to provide 
assistance to residents of the Gulf Coast region for recovering from 
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, including the following:
            (1) To assess the social and economic consequences in the 
        areas affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and coordinate 
        Federal efforts to address long-term community recovery issues.
            (2) To advise the Secretary of Homeland Security on the 
        long-term community recovery implications of response 
        activities.
            (3) To conduct comprehensive market disruption and loss 
        analysis and develop a forward looking market-based 
        comprehensive long-term recovery plan for the affected areas.
            (4) To identify appropriate Federal programs and agencies 
        to support the implementation of the long-term community 
        recovery plan, to ensure coordination across appropriate 
        Federal departments and agencies, and to identify any gaps in 
        the available resources.
            (5) To avoid duplication of assistance, to coordinate, to 
        the extent possible, program application processes and planning 
        requirements in order to streamline assistance, and to identify 
        and coordinate the resolution of policy and program issues.
            (6) To determine responsibilities for recovery activities, 
        to provide a method of maintaining continuity in the delivery 
        of assistance under programs administered by various Federal 
        departments and agencies, and to oversee coordination with 
        State, local, and tribal governments and other involved 
        parties, to ensure follow-through of recovery and hazard 
        mitigation efforts.
            (7) To encourage implementation of mitigation measures 
        during recovery.
            (8) To carry out such other activities as determined 
        appropriate by the Secretary of Homeland Security.
    (d) Termination.--The Gulf Coast Long-Term Recovery Office 
established under subsection (a) shall terminate at the discretion of 
the Secretary.
                                 <all>