[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 171 (Tuesday, November 6, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H12778-H12782]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
KIDS IN DISASTERS WELL-BEING, SAFETY, AND HEALTH ACT OF 2007
Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 3495) to establish a National Commission on Children and
Disasters, a National Resource Center on Children and Disasters, and
for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 3495
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Kids in Disasters Well-
being, Safety, and Health Act of 2007''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITION.
In this Act, the terms ``child'' and ``children'' mean an
individual or individuals, respectively, who have not
attained 18 years of age.
SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF COMMISSION.
There is established a commission to be known as the
``National Commission on Children and Disasters'' (referred
to in this Act as the ``Commission'').
SEC. 4. PURPOSES OF COMMISSION.
The purposes of the Commission are to--
(1) conduct a comprehensive study to examine and assess the
needs of children as they relate to preparation for, response
to, and recovery from all hazards, including major disasters
and emergencies;
(2) build upon the investigations of other entities and
avoid unnecessary duplication, by reviewing the findings,
conclusions, and recommendations of other commissions,
Federal, State, and local governments, or nongovernmental
entities, relating to the needs of children as they relate to
preparation for, response to, and recovery from all hazards,
including major disasters and emergencies; and
(3) submit a report to the President and Congress on
specific findings, conclusions, and recommendations to
address the needs of children as they relate to preparation
for, response to, and recovery from all hazards, including
major disasters and emergencies.
SEC. 5. COMPOSITION OF COMMISSION.
(a) Members.--The Commission shall be composed of 10
members, of whom--
(1) 1 member shall be appointed by the President;
(2) 1 member, who is of a different political party than
that of the member appointed under paragraph (1), shall be
appointed by the President;
(3) 2 members shall be appointed by the majority leader of
the Senate;
(4) 2 members shall be appointed by the minority leader of
the Senate;
(5) 2 members shall be appointed by the Speaker of the
House of Representatives; and
(6) 2 members shall be appointed by the minority leader of
the House of Representatives.
(b) Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson Selection.--The
Chairperson and Vice Chairperson shall be elected from among
members of the Commission.
(c) Governmental Appointees.--An individual appointed to
the Commission may not be an official or employee of the
Federal Government.
(d) Commission Representation.--The Commission shall
include--
(1) representatives from private nonprofit entities with
demonstrated expertise in addressing the needs of children as
they relate to preparation for, response to, and recovery
from all hazards, including major disasters and emergencies;
and
(2) State emergency managers and local emergency managers.
(e) Qualifications.--Members appointed under subsection (a)
shall include--
(1) individuals involved with providing services to
children, including health, education, housing, and other
social services, including grant and entitlement programs;
(2) individuals with experience in emergency management,
including coordination of resources and services among State
and local governments, the Federal Government, and
nongovernmental entities;
(3) individuals with philanthropic experience focused on
the needs of children;
(4) individuals with experience in providing donated goods
and services, including personnel services, to meet the needs
of children and families as they relate to preparation for,
response to, and recovery from all hazards, including major
disasters and emergencies; and
(5) individuals who have conducted academic research into
related issues.
(f) Appointments.--All members of the Commission shall be
appointed not later than 90 days after the date of enactment
of this Act.
(g) Initial Meeting.--The Commission shall meet and begin
the operations of the Commission not later than 120 days
after the date of enactment of this Act.
(h) Quorum and Vacancy.--
(1) Quorum.--A majority of the members of the Commission
shall constitute a quorum, but a lesser number of members may
hold hearings.
(2) Vacancy.--Any vacancy in the Commission shall not
affect its powers and shall be filled in the same manner in
which the original appointment was made.
SEC. 6. DUTIES OF COMMISSION.
The Commission shall--
(1) conduct a comprehensive study that examines and
assesses the needs of children as they relate to preparation
for, response to, and recovery from all hazards, including
major disasters and emergencies, including specific findings
relating to--
(A) children's physical and mental health;
(B) child care, including in private for-profit and
nonprofit settings;
(C) child welfare;
(D) elementary and secondary education;
(E) sheltering, temporary housing, and affordable housing;
(F) transportation;
(G) entitlement and grant programs;
(H) juvenile justice;
(I) evacuation; and
(J) relevant activities in emergency management;
(2) identify, review, and evaluate existing law relevant to
the needs of children as they relate to preparation for,
response to, and recovery from all hazards, including major
disasters and emergencies;
(3) identify, review, and evaluate the lessons learned from
past disasters and emergencies relative to addressing the
needs of children; and
(4) submit a report to the President and Congress on the
Commission's specific findings, conclusions, and
recommendations to address the needs of children as they
relate to preparation for, response to, and recovery from all
hazards, including major disasters and emergencies, including
specific recommendations on the need for planning and
establishing a national resource center on children and
disasters, coordination of resources and services,
administrative actions, policies, regulations, financing, and
legislative changes as the Commission considers appropriate.
SEC. 7. POWERS OF COMMISSION.
(a) Hearings.--The Commission may hold such hearings, meet
and act at such times and places, and receive such evidence
as may be necessary to carry out the functions of the
Commission.
(b) Information From Federal Agencies.--
(1) In general.--The Commission may secure directly from
any executive department, bureau, agency, board, commission,
office, independent establishment, or instrumentality of the
Federal Government such information, suggestions, estimates,
and statistics as the Commission considers necessary to carry
out this Act.
(2) Provision of information.--On request of the
Chairperson of the Commission, each department, bureau,
agency, board, commission, office, independent establishment,
or instrumentality shall, to the extent authorized by law,
provide the requested information to the Commission
(3) Receipt, handling, storage, and dissemination.--
Information shall only be received, handled, stored, and
disseminated by members of the Commission and its staff
consistent with all applicable statutes, regulations, and
Executive orders.
(c) Assistance From Federal Agencies.--
(1) General services administration.--On request of the
Chairperson of the Commission, the Administrator of General
Services shall provide to the Commission, on a reimbursable
basis, administrative support and other services necessary
for the Commission to carry out its duties.
(2) Other departments and agencies.--In addition to the
assistance provided for under paragraph (1), departments and
agencies of the United States may provide to the Commission
such services as they may determine advisable and as
authorized by law.
(d) Contracting.--The Commission may enter into contracts
to enable the Commission to discharge its duties under this
Act.
(e) Donations.--The Commission may accept, use, and dispose
of donations of services or property.
(f) Postal Services.--The Commission may use the United
States mails in the same manner and under the same conditions
as a department or agency of the United States.
SEC. 8. STAFF OF COMMISSION.
(a) In General.--The Chairperson of the Commission, in
consultation with the Vice Chairperson, in accordance with
rules agreed upon by the Commission, may appoint and fix the
compensation of a staff director and such other personnel as
may be necessary to enable the Commission to carry out its
functions, in accordance with the provisions of title 5,
United States Code, except that no rate of pay fixed under
this subsection may exceed the equivalent of that payable for
a position at level V of the Executive Schedule under section
5316 of title 5, United States Code.
[[Page H12779]]
(b) Staff of Federal Agencies.--Upon request of the
Chairperson of the Commission, the head of any executive
department, bureau, agency, board, commission, office,
independent establishment, or instrumentality of the Federal
Government may detail, without reimbursement, any of its
personnel to the Commission to assist it in carrying out its
duties under this Act. Any detail of an employee shall be
without interruption or loss of civil service status or
privilege.
(c) Consultant Services.--The Commission is authorized to
procure the services of experts and consultants in accordance
with section 3109 of title 5, United States Code, but at
rates not to exceed the daily rate paid a person occupying a
position at level IV of the Executive Schedule under section
5315 of title 5, United States Code.
SEC. 9. TRAVEL EXPENSES.
Each member of the Commission shall serve without
compensation, but shall receive travel expenses, including
per diem in lieu of subsistence, in accordance with
applicable provisions in the same manner as persons employed
intermittently in the Government service are allowed expenses
under section 5703 of title 5, United States Code.
SEC. 10. FEDERAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ACT APPLICABILITY.
The provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act shall
apply to the Commission, including the staff of the
Commission.
SEC. 11. REPORTS OF COMMISSION; TERMINATION.
(a) Interim Report.--Not later than December 31, 2008, the
Commission shall submit to the President and Congress an
interim report containing specific findings, conclusions, and
recommendations required under this Act as have been agreed
to by a majority of Commission members.
(b) Final Report.--Not later than 24 months after the date
of the enactment of this Act, the Commission shall submit to
the President and Congress a final report containing specific
findings, conclusions, and recommendations required under
this Act as have been agreed to by a majority of Commission
members.
(c) Termination.--
(1) In general.--The Commission, and all the authorities of
this Act, shall terminate 180 days after the date on which
the final report is submitted under subsection (b).
(2) Records.--Not later than the date of termination of the
Commission under paragraph (1), all records and papers of the
Commission shall be delivered to the Archivist of the United
States for deposit in the National Archives.
SEC. 12. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this
Act, $2,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2008 and 2009.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from
the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton) and the gentleman from Missouri
(Mr. Graves) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia.
General Leave
Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks
and to include extraneous material on H.R. 3495.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from the District of Columbia?
There was no objection.
Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, as amended, H.R. 3495 is a bill to establish a national
commission on children's needs as they relate to all hazards, including
major disasters and emergencies. I strongly support the creation of
this commission because there is no doubt that in dire circumstances
the needs of children are different from the needs of adults. This
realization is one of the many lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina.
Almost 5200 children were reported missing or displaced to the National
Center for Missing and Exploited Children after Hurricane Katrina. This
bill is a step in the right direction in identifying the needs of
children in such conditions and deserves our support.
Consistent with other commissions, this bill provides that the Chair
and Vice Chair be chosen from commission members. The role of State and
local emergency managers is acknowledged in commission membership along
with private nonprofit organizations. The committee recognizes that
State emergency managers and local emergency managers perform
complementary but not identical functions and therefore recognize in a
commission such as this it is important to have both groups
represented. The commission will produce an interim report and a final
report with specific recommendations which will be sent to Congress and
the President. The commission member will serve without pay and be
subject to the Federal Advisory Committee Act requirements. The
amendment authorizes $2 million for fiscal years 2008 and 2009 for the
commission work.
I commend my good friend and colleague, the gentlewoman from Florida
(Ms. Corrine Brown), for her diligent work on this bill. I strongly
support H.R. 3495 and urge its passage.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GRAVES. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3495, introduced by the gentlewoman from Florida
(Ms. Corrine Brown), creates a National Commission on Children and
Disasters. First, I thank Chairman Oberstar and Chairwoman Norton for
working with us to improve this legislation. I believe our bipartisan
efforts were necessary to ensure a fair and balanced commission. I
think it has resulted in a much better legislative product.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3495 establishes a 10-member commission to examine
the needs of children and disasters. The commission is directed to
report its findings and conclusions and recommendations to the
President and the Congress, as Chairwoman Norton pointed out.
The bill specifically directs the commission to build upon the
investigations of other entities to avoid an unnecessary duplication of
effort. For example, last Congress the House created the Select
Committee to Investigate Hurricane Katrina. Former Subcommittee
Chairman Bill Shuster served on the select committee.
In its final report, the select committee made a number of findings
with respect to children. In response to this report, we passed the
Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act, which included provisions
creating a national emergency child locator center and a national
emergency family registry and locator center.
Finally, H.R. 3495 requires both State emergency managers and local
emergency managers to be represented on the commission. This
requirement ensures the representation on the commission of the people
who may very well be responsible for implementing its recommendations.
Mr. Speaker, I support this legislation. I encourage my colleagues to
do the same.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield to the gentlewoman
from Florida (Ms. Corrine Brown), the author of the bill, for such time
as she may consume.
Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in
support of my bill, H.R. 3495, the KIDS WiSH Act.
Before I start, I would like to thank Chairman Oberstar and
Chairwoman Norton for their work in bringing this bill through the
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. I also would like to thank
Ranking Member Mica and Ranking Member Graves for their bipartisan
support. Their leadership and their staff have been instrumental in
strengthening the merits of the bill and the concept of this
commission. Finally, I would like to thank the House leadership for
bringing this important bill to the floor so quickly.
The KIDS WiSH Act will establish a National Commission on Children
and Disasters that will conduct a comprehensive study to examine and
assess the needs of children to prepare for, respond to and recover
from all major disasters and emergencies. The bipartisan commission
will report to the President and Congress on their findings,
conclusions and recommendations to address the needs of children and
emergencies. In addition, the commission will consider the need for a
permanent national resource center on children and disasters that will
be a resource for emergency managers, schools, housing agencies,
transportation entities and other relevant organizations.
Disaster and emergencies strike all over this country, and they
affect children in small and large numbers. This spring, Greensburg,
Kansas, which had a population of 1,389, experienced a horrible
tornado. Children aged 0-17 make up 25 percent of the population of
Kansas. That translates into about 347 children who were affected. This
may be a small number compared to Hurricane Katrina, but each of those
children's lives were utterly changed after that one tornado.
In the San Diego area, as a result of the recent wildfires, nearly
850,000 people were evacuated. In California, the population is about
26 percent children
[[Page H12780]]
0-17, so that translates to roughly 220,000 children who had to be
evacuated. On October 24, 2007, FEMA reported that 13,000-plus
individuals were housed in shelters. That translates to roughly 3,500
children.
Since Hurricane Katrina, many improvements to our emergency
management system have been made, but there is still much work to be
done. The basic tenet of disasters and emergencies is to ``make a
plan.'' You hear it in public service announcements all over Florida
and the Gulf coast, and it is written on many of the materials
distributed by FEMA. Make a plan, make a plan.
But, for all of that talk, we do not have a plan for children.
Children are one of our most vulnerable populations, and their needs
are unique and cannot be easily assumed from emergency plans for
adults.
Earlier this year I met with the chief of the Division of Community
Pediatrics from the University of Florida and he brought to my
attention that emergency evacuation equipment is often brought for
adults, but children cannot be transported in adult equipment, and
often that type of equipment is missed. From needles and tubing to
oxygen masks and ventilators, children need equipment that has been
specifically designed for their size.
Do you know if the hospitals in your district are prepared for
children in an emergency situation? Hospitals are just one of the many
areas where improvements can be made for children in emergency
situations and why the commission is needed.
More than 400,000 children under the age of 5 lived in and were
evacuated from counties and parishes that were declared disaster areas
by FEMA in response to Hurricane Katrina. In addition, 1,100 schools
were closed immediately following Hurricane Katrina. Two years later,
only 45 percent of New Orleans schools have reopened. Finally, the most
startling statistic from Hurricane Katrina is that 5,192 children were
missing or displaced and it took nearly 6\1/2\ months to unite each
child with their parent. However, the effects of disasters on children
are not limited to events of this magnitude.
{time} 1415
Additionally, in this day and age we cannot keep thinking that
children will not be harmed in a terrorist attack. In 1995, nineteen
children were killed and more than 80 children were injured at the
Oklahoma City bombing.
More than 6,000 children were in the immediate area of Ground Zero
during 9/11, and if the attacks were more widespread, it would have
reached over 1.2 million public school students.
In the D.C. area we are painfully aware that during the sniper
shooting, schools and children are not overlooked by terrorists. We
must have a plan for children in the event of another terrorist attack.
I have been working hard to bring this issue to light. I led 23 other
Members to call on FEMA to have an expert on children and disasters as
a member of the National Advisory Council. I offered an amendment to
the fiscal year 2008 Homeland Security appropriations bill that will
add $1 million specifically for children and disasters.
Finally, I held an important forum with experts from emergency
management, pediatrics and disaster recovery to discuss how to prepare,
respond to, and recover from all hazards for children. Over 100 people
attended this briefing to show their support for the legislation.
As adults, we may think this is unnecessary; but once again, we must
think how children are different. I encourage the commission to think
outside the box. Children are a diverse group and the commission should
remember children in the context of private schools, preschools, after-
school programs, day care facilities, pregnant women, foster children,
and orphanages.
Last year, Congress passed the Pets Evacuation and Transportation
Standards Act of 2006. Congress has recognized how pets can slip
through the cracks during an emergency, but has yet to have a plan for
children in an emergency.
Children should not be forced to suffer through another learning
experience like Hurricane Katrina. Congress must look forward and
discover a comprehensive strategy for children and emergencies that may
happen such as pandemic flu or a terrorist attack or a major
earthquake. A national commission is imperative to making progress.
This commission will solidify some of the already good work that
other organizations are doing and provide recommendations for better
coordination at the local, State, and Federal levels.
I also would like to thank organizations who have supported this
bill. I want to recognize the crucial support of Mark Shriver from Save
the Children who has led the coalition of children's advocate groups.
Mr. Speaker, I will insert the list of groups into the Record at this
point, and I encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 3495, the KIDS
WiSH Act.
Save the Children, Allergy and Asthma Network Mothers of
Asthmatics, American Association of School Administrators,
American Red Cross, Association of Maternal and Child Health
Programs, Catholic Charities USA, Child Welfare League of
America, Children's Health Fund, Habitat for Humanity, March
of Dimes, The Midwives Alliance of North America, National
Assembly on School-Based Healthcare, National Association of
Children's Hospitals, National Association of Emergency
Medical Technicians, National Association of Certified
Professional Midwives, National Association of School Nurses,
National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia
University, Safermaternity.org, and White Ribbon Alliance.
Mr. GRAVES. Mr. Speaker, might I inquire if Chairwoman Norton has any
other speakers.
Ms. NORTON. This side, I say to the Member, has no further speakers.
Mr. GRAVES. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I want to once again thank the gentlelady
from Florida for this very important bill. The tragedy on the gulf
coast was a human tragedy at every level, but the most unbearable
scenes were those of hapless children, with and without parents. It's
almost unimaginable to understand the trauma of a child who had lost
her parents during that time.
The committee, our subcommittee, has indeed last year and this year,
Mr. Speaker, passed two important bills: the Post-Katrina Management
and Reform Act and, more recently, the Katrina and Rita Recovery Act.
But all of this legislation still leaves the gap that the
gentlelady's bill would address, and there was probably good reason for
it. In a real sense, we don't know what to do yet. We know what the
problem is. We saw the problem with our own eyes.
Then the question becomes how do you put together what it takes to
make sure it doesn't happen again, and the gentlelady has wisely
decided that first we have to find out, with our bill, for a commission
to provide us with the expertise to go further. She's done a real
service to children of the United States of America because such a
tragedy could happen everywhere.
Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3495, ``Kids in
Disasters Well-Being, Safety, and Health Act of 2007.'' My life's work
has been to provide for a better future for the next generation, and
H.R. 3495 is in keeping with this purpose.
This bill ensures that children will be protected and prepared to
respond to a disaster or other emergency by establishing a National
Commission on Children and Disasters. This commission will provide a
vital assessment of the needs of children before, during, and after all
hazards, disasters, and emergencies. This bill addresses many--but not
all--of the enhancements to preparedness for children that I have
championed on the Committee on Homeland Security. Specifically, I have
been exploring how to improve preparedness for children and schools
since the committee's inception. I look forward to continuing the
committee's work on school preparedness and working with my colleagues
on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on this critical
homeland security issue.
Mr. Speaker, in August 2005, my colleagues and I on the Committee on
Homeland Security requested that the Government Accountability Office,
GAO, examine the programs at the Departments of Homeland Security,
Education, and Health and Human Services that are designed to increase
the emergency preparedness of primary and secondary public school
officials, teachers, and students. In 2005, I released a report
entitled ``Reading, Writing, and Readiness: A Survey of School
Emergency Plans in the 2nd Congressional District of North Carolina.''
The report highlighted the following three assessments: first, Federal
efforts in school preparedness are uncoordinated and create confusion
in the school community; secondly, there is a desire among schools for
the Department of Homeland Security to take a leadership role in school
preparedness; and
[[Page H12781]]
finally, school administrators are feeling the squeeze of Federal
budget cuts in emergency preparedness.
Although schools are among the safest places for our children, and
school administrators do a great job of preparing for emergencies, we
have evidence, both objective and anecdotal, suggesting that schools
need more assistance to be fully prepared to respond to any serious
crisis, including terrorism.
As the only Member of Congress that served as a school
superintendent, I understand the burdens faced by administrators when
implementing emergency preparedness plans with limited resources. We
need to continue to work to ensure that the Federal Government engages
our communities in an effective and efficient manner to mitigate such
burden.
Earlier this year, I included language in H.R. 1684, the Fiscal Year
2008 Department of Homeland Security Authorization Act, that addresses
this critical issue. Specifically, it tasks the DHS Under Secretary for
Policy to ensure that all policies, programs and activities developed
by the Department and its components appropriately take into
consideration the needs of and impact on children. Additionally, the
Assistant Secretary would then work with the Office of Grants and
Training in FEMA to support emergency preparedness activities for
schools. Like the current bill, my provision raises awareness in
Congress and within Federal agencies to ensure that the needs of
children, schools, and other child-centered facilities are sufficiently
understood and incorporated into Federal, State, local, and tribal
preparedness, response, and recovery plans and activities for natural
disasters as well as acts of terrorism.
I am particularly pleased that H.R. 3495 establishes a National
Resource Center on Children and Disasters, similar to the ``one-stop''
shop clearinghouse that Homeland Security Chairman Thompson and I
requested from DHS Secretary Chertoff and Education Secretary
Spellings. This resource center will be invaluable to school
administrators as a single source for Federal grants and training
available to develop emergency management plans at their schools and
throughout their districts.
I commend my colleague, Corinne Brown, for introducing this bill and
I am looking forward to working with her to ensure that the needs of
children are properly assessed and addressed by the Federal Government.
I urge my colleagues to join me in this cause, and in voting in favor
of this legislation.
Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3495, the
``Kids in Disasters Well-Being, Safety and Health Act of 2007''.
The importance of examining the special needs of children in
preparing for, responding to, and recovering from emergencies and
disasters cannot be overstated. Approximately one-fourth of the
residents of areas damaged or flooded by Hurricane Katrina were under
the age of 18. More than 400,000 children under the age of five lived
in or were evacuated from counties or parishes declared as disaster
areas by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (``FEMA'').
Hurricane Katrina exposed sobering vulnerabilities in our Nation's
ability to meet the needs of children during disasters. As a result of
Hurricane Katrina, 5,192 children were reported missing or displaced to
the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Stunningly, it
took 6\1/2\ months to reunite the last child separated from her family.
The impact of this prolonged separation on a child, compounded by the
other hardships related to dealing with a tragedy, is indeed profound.
In addition, 1,100 schools were closed immediately following
Hurricane Katrina. Today, more than two years later, only 45 percent of
New Orleans schools have reopened.
H.R. 3495 establishes the National Commission on Children and
Disasters (``Commission'') to address the needs of children in
disasters.
The purposes of the Commission are to: (1) conduct a comprehensive
study to examine and assess the needs of children as they relate to
preparing for, responding to, and recovering from all hazards,
including major disasters and emergencies; (2) build upon and review
the recommendations of other government and nongovernmental entities
that work on issues relating to the needs of children in disasters; and
(3) report to the President and Congress on its specific findings,
conclusions, and recommendations.
The Commission will investigate special needs related to children's
health, child welfare, elementary and secondary education, affordable
housing, transportation, and relevant activities in emergency
mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. The Commission is
further charged with identifying, reviewing, and evaluating the lessons
learned from past disasters and emergencies relative to addressing the
needs of children.
I commend the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Brown) for introducing
this important bill. I also thank Mark Shriver, Vice President and
Managing Director of Save the Children, and the many children's
advocacy groups that strongly support this legislation and have worked
with us to bring this bill to the Floor expeditiously.
Children are a symbol of promise and rebirth. Protecting their
safety, well-being, and health in the wake of a disaster must be a
critically important priority of emergency management and preparedness.
This Commission will help advance that goal.
I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 3495, as amended.
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support
or H.R. 3495, the Kids in Disasters Well-Being, Safety, and Health Act
of 2007, introduced by my distinguished colleague from Florida,
Representative Corrine Brown. This important legislation ensures the
protection of our nations most valuable assets, our children, during
times of disasters.
As the Chair of the Congressional Children's Caucus, I cannot stress
enough the importance of this legislation. Children have specific needs
in cases of emergency and this legislation is an important first step
towards recognizing and addressing those needs. Special steps must be
taken with regards to children before, after, and during all disasters
and emergencies, including informing them what they should know in case
of emergency and working to reunite them with their families. In the
aftermath of the catastrophic events of Hurricane Katrina, some 5,192
children were missing or displaced and it was not until 6 months later
that the final children were re-united with their families. This is
simply unacceptable. Children are not merely small adults, they are
children. They are much more vulnerable to the health and safety
hazards that arise during states of emergency and disasters. The
American Academy of Pediatric reports that in times of emergencies and
disasters:
Children are particularly vulnerable to aerosolized biological or
chemical agents because they normally breathe more times per minute
than do adults, meaning they would be exposed to larger doses in the
same period of time. Also, because such agents (e.g. sarin and
chlorine) are heavier than air, they accumulate close to the ground--
right in the breathing zone of children.
Children are more vulnerable to agents that act on or through the
skin because their skin is thinner and they have a larger skin surface-
to-body mass ratio than adults.
Children are more vulnerable to the effects of agents that produce
vomiting or diarrhea because they have smaller body fluid reserves than
adults, increasing the risk of rapid progression to dehydration or
shock.
Children have much smaller circulating blood volumes than adults, so
without timely intervention, relatively small amounts of blood loss can
quickly tip the physiological scale from reversible shock to profound,
irreversible shock or death.
Children have significant developmental vulnerabilities not shared by
adults. Infants, toddlers and young children may not have the motor
skills to escape from the site of a hazard or disaster. Even if they
are able to walk, young children may not have the cognitive ability to
know when to flee from danger, or when to follow directions from
strangers such as in an evacuation, or to cooperate with
decontamination.
This legislation is an important and timely first step in addressing
the specific needs of children by establishing the legislative branch
the National Commission of Children and Disasters. This commission will
better address the needs of children by identifying the specific causes
and needs of children before, after, and during disasters as well as
evaluating, and if necessary redressing, existing laws relevant to such
needs. It further will evaluate lessons learned from the disasters of
September 11th, Hurricane Rita, Hurricane Katrina, and most recently
the California wild fires and report back to the President and
Congress. Furthermore, this legislation directs the Secretary of Health
and Human Services to establish a National Resource Center on Children
and Disasters that will be responsible for creating, maintaining, and
coordinating a database to store information relating to the needs of
children and disseminating relevant information on such issues to all
necessary parties.
Madam Speaker, there is no one more valuable and more vulnerable than
our children. As Members of the Congress, mothers, fathers, sisters,
and brothers, it is our responsibility to ensure the protection and
well-being of our children. This legislation is an important first step
in ensuring the safety and protection of our nation's children in times
of disasters. I strongly urge my colleagues to join me in supporting
this extremely important legislation.
Mr. STARK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of legislation
aimed at protecting children during and after disasters. Our current
emergency management system is not
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prepared to meet the unique needs of children. The ``Kids in Disasters
Well-being, Safety, and Health Act'' (H.R. 3495) represents major
progress in fixing this unacceptable situation.
The most important role of government is protecting the health and
welfare of families. This is a role that the government must not
privatize, contract out, or provide only to the wealthy and well
connected.
Unfortunately, as we all witnessed after Hurricane Katrina, the
government failed miserably to protect the most vulnerable,
particularly children. It is unclear to me whether this failure was the
result negligence or incompetence. Perhaps it was the natural result of
running a government using a radical ideology that believes government
shouldn't work.
What is clear to me is that this body has an obligation to make sure
government works and finds ways to help families get back on their feet
after disasters. My home state of California is no stranger to
disasters: earthquakes, fires, flooding, and mudslides--we've got it
all. During the last several weeks, wildfires ravaged Southern
California. Just after the worst of the fires, 1300 childcare centers
were closed, affecting over 16,000 children. These are children of
first responders, teachers, and others that have to get back to work to
make sure that the community can rebuild.
We should know if we are doing enough to help these families. We
should know if FEMA is doing a good job of assisting those childcare
centers to reopen. We should know if we are doing a good job of helping
missing children to locate their parents. Local communities and
governments should have access to the information and resources they
need to ensure that children's needs are taken care of.
This bill will help to fill an enormous gap in our disaster
preparedness system. There is currently no agency charged with
safeguarding children in the aftermath of a disaster or coordinating
the efforts of various levels of government. This bill will begin to
close this gap by establishing a National Resource Center for Federal,
State, local, and tribal governments as well as NGOs to use to address
the needs of children before, during, and after disasters. It will also
establish a commission to examine our past failures and make specific
recommendations on how to correct those.
Our children are looking to us to take action. I urge all of my
colleagues to support this bill.
Ms. NORTON. With no further speakers, Mr. Speaker, I yield back the
balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton) that the House
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3495, as amended.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be
postponed.
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