[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 111 (Thursday, September 8, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9844-S9845]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. OBAMA:
  S. 1638. A bill to provide for the establishment of programs and 
activities to assist in mobilizing an appropriate healthcare workforce 
in the event of a health emergency or natural disaster; to the 
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. OBAMA. Mr. President, earlier this week I traveled with former 
Presidents Bush and Clinton to Houston and met countless hurricane 
survivors who shared heart-wrenching stories about their experiences. 
Too many of the hurricane survivors have lost their jobs, their homes, 
and for some, beloved friends and family members.
  Hurricane Katrina served as another important reminder of man's 
inability

[[Page S9845]]

to control the wrath of Mother Nature. Yet, our response to such 
calamitous events is completely within our control. Hurricane Katrina 
was the first disaster, the Nation's emergency response to Hurricane 
Katrina was the second disaster.
  We have all watched TV reports of residents stranded, abandoned 
really, without food or water and medical care, while those charged 
with emergency response delayed and fumbled their duties. Many of the 
sick and elderly were left behind at the makeshift hospital inside the 
New Orleans airport, and others faced uncertainties regarding their own 
medical care while staying at temporary shelters in Houston.
  The Nation's generous outpouring of support for the survivors of 
Hurricane Katrina is heart-warming. Yet, many of those who would 
volunteer their services have been thwarted by bureaucratic red tape 
from antiquated laws and regulations. My own office has received 
numerous complaints from constituents whose offers of service were 
refused. In particular, medical professionals, which are still so 
desperately needed in affected areas, were turned away from FEMA and 
not informed about alternative mechanisms for volunteering. These 
doctors also expressed concerns relating to licensure, liability, and 
their ability to take leaves of absence from their jobs.
  The Federal Government should be doing everything possible to 
streamline the process by which trained medical personnel around the 
country can volunteer their services in Louisiana, Mississippi, 
Alabama, and any of the States where evacuees have been relocated. I 
have introduced legislation today, entitled the Hurricane Katrina 
Emergency Health Workforce Act of 2005, that will start this process.
  There are five components to this bill. It would create a national 
emergency health professional volunteer corps, so that we will have a 
ready pool of volunteer doctors and nurses who are willing, trained, 
and certified to serve in times of disaster. My bill would provide 
liability protections to qualified health professionals and provide the 
same job protections that many Federal employees and members of the 
National Guard already have. Requirements for State licensure would be 
lifted for licensed doctors who travel to disaster stricken areas 
outside of their home States. In addition, the CDC would establish a 
national and easily accessible database with the names and contact 
information of doctors and nurses, as well as their specialties and 
licensures, around the Nation. Finally, recognizing that emergencies 
are often unpredictable, this legislation would grant the Secretary 
broad authority to suspend rules and regulations in order to get health 
professionals where they are needed and when they are needed.
  Although we live in a changing and uncertain world, one constant 
remains--whether it be earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, or sadly 
even terrorist attacks, the nation will surely face future devastating 
and cataclysmic events. We know now that the Nation's preparedness for 
such events in no way matches our ability to respond and mitigate human 
suffering and economic collapse. We must do better. I urge each of my 
colleagues to join me in passing this legislation.
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