[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 19 (Wednesday, February 3, 1999)]
[House]
[Page H412]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          INTRODUCTION OF THE DISASTER MITIGATION ACT OF 1999

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Shimkus). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Boehlert) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. BOEHLERT. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to be joined by my colleague, 
the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Borski) in introducing the 
Disaster Mitigation Act of 1999.
  This widely-supported bipartisan legislation passed the Committee on 
Transportation and Infrastructure last year, after months of hearings 
and review by the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, 
which I am privileged to chair. Similar legislation moved through the 
Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. The 106th Congress 
should give priority consideration to the Disaster Mitigation Act.
  The introduced bill, essentially unchanged from the bill the 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure reported last year, H.R. 
3869, amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
Assistance Act to authorize a program for predisaster mitigation, to 
streamline the administration of disaster relief, and to control the 
Federal cost of disaster assistance.
  The two themes of the bill, greater emphasis on mitigation and 
greater program efficiency, will reduce the cost and suffering natural 
disasters place on communities and the Nation overall.
  Improving our Nation's outdated flood plain maps is a prime example 
of an area where new technologies can save us millions of dollars. 
Computerized mapping makes eminent fiscal sense, and may ultimately 
save thousands of lives. Boy, that is a double-header worthy of strong, 
strong support.
  I look forward to working with the Federal Emergency Management 
Agency and State and local governments and other public and private 
sector entities and citizens to continue the effort to make disaster 
mitigation a national priority.
  It makes far more sense to take action prior to a disaster to 
minimize the negative impact of that disaster. That makes so much more 
sense than to do what we have been doing year after year after year: A 
disaster comes, there is so much suffering, our hearts are pulled at, 
and we obviously respond. That is what government needs to do, but far 
better to minimize the impact before the disaster than to react to the 
disaster after it has occurred.
  I am particularly pleased about the prospects of working with the 
chairwoman, the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Tillie Fowler) and the 
ranking Democrat, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Jim Traficant) on the 
new Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations, and Emergency 
Management, which has jurisdiction over the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency.
  Jurisdiction has been transferred from my subcommittee to the 
subcommittee of the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Fowler). I have 
already had extensive conversations with her. She is very much in 
support of this effort. I look forward to working with her. I think it 
is going to be a productive partnership, and it is going to be 
bipartisan, Mr. Speaker.
  My hope is that the legislation reported by the committee last year 
and reintroduced today by the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Borski) 
and me will help the subcommittee as it reviews FEMA programs and 
considers legislation to improve the Nation's approach to disasters.

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