[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 54 (Thursday, April 3, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4826-S4827]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

                           By Mrs. FEINSTEIN:

  S. 775. A bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
Emergency Assistance Act to make private, nonprofit medical facilities 
that serve industry-specific clients eligible for hazard mitigation and 
disaster assistance; to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce a bill that 
would allow private, non-profit medical facilities which service 
industry-specific clients to be eligible for hazard mitigation and 
disaster assistance. Under the current law, institutions such as these 
are limited in their ability to receive the Federal funds needed for 
both preparedness and response in the case of emergencies.
  In particular, I speak today of the Motion Picture & Television, 
MPTF, Hospital, located in the earthquake-prone San Fernando Valley. 
Set up more than 80 years ago to provide members of the entertainment 
industry with vital medical care and social services, the MPTF Hospital 
is the only institution of its kind in the United States.
  With an acute care hospital, six outpatient facilities staffed with 
primary care physicians, a children's center, retirement facilities, 
and programs for the elderly, the MPTF Hospital provides comprehensive 
care for a significant sector of the population of the greater Los 
Angeles community. It is the only non-profit institution providing 
industry-specific health and human services to the entertainment 
industry and to the general public.
  This legislation is important because in the aftermath of the 
Northridge Earthquake of 1994, considered one of the worst natural 
disasters in U.S. history, the MPTF Hospital was unable to receive 
federal assistance to repair structural and equipment damages suffered 
from the earthquake. Furthermore, that same year, the California Senate 
enacted legislation requiring all hospitals to be seismically 
retrofitted by 2010. The costs of both the reparations and structural 
upgrades are enormous, and the MPTF Hospital cannot receive federal 
funds because as an institution serving an industry-specific clientele, 
it does not qualify under the current definition of a ``private, 
nonprofit facility'' within the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
Emergency Assistance Act of 1988, Stafford Act.
  To address this problem, this legislation broadens that definition to 
include tax-exempt facilities that provide medical services to specific 
occupational or industry segments of the general public.
  Under this change, facilities such as the MPTF Hospital would have 
the opportunity to apply for federal assistance under the Stafford Act, 
alongside other private, nonprofit institutions.
  There is no up-front cost stemming from this amendment to the 
Stafford Act. This bill simply puts the MPTF Hospital on equal footing 
with other critical care facilities when applying for Federal disaster 
assistance.

[[Page S4827]]

  This legislation is timely and necessary. Hospitals such as the MPTF 
deserve an opportunity to apply for Federal funding, and desperately 
need this financial assistance in order to both meet California's 2010 
deadline for seismic retrofitting and respond adequately to future 
disasters. I call on this body to enact this legislation promptly.
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