[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 175 (Tuesday, November 13, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S14288-S14289]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Ms. LANDRIEU:
  S. 2335. A bill to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
Emergency Assistance Act to provide adequate case management services; 
to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
  Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, almost a year ago, we passed a Homeland 
Security Appropriations bill. Included in that very large piece of 
legislation was a small provision that probably went beneath most 
people's notice.
  Section 426 of that bill allows Federal funding to provide case 
management services after a disaster. That has been a tragically absent 
component to our circumstances in Louisiana. Educated people struggle 
to find their way through the Byzantine morass that is FEMA individual 
assistance program, the Small Business Administration's loan program, 
the Road Home program and their own insurance company's requirements. 
Think of how all of this seems to working people who are encountering 
Federal bureaucracy for the first time.
  So, we need case management badly. Unfortunately, Section 426 fails 
the people of my State in two important ways. First, and this predates 
the change in Congressional leadership, it allows for case management 
services--but only for future disasters. The legislation that I am 
introducing today makes Section 426 retroactive to 2005 and will now 
cover Hurricanes Rita and Katrina, as well as succeeding disasters.
  Two years after the disaster, we only distributed half of the Road 
Home grants. It is obvious that we will need case management services 
for years to come in Louisiana. It is only common sense to direct these 
resources to the Gulf Coast today, where they are direly needed.
  However, an equally important failing of Section 426 comes from its 
implementation. In New Orleans and throughout the Gulf Coast, the 
energy for the recovery effort has truly come from America's faith 
community. You can see their good work in neighborhoods that are 
returning in my hometown. You can see them with hammers and nails in 
the Gulf Coast towns of Mississippi, and you can find them helping 
thousands of victims of Katrina and Rita to navigate the bureaucratic 
hurdles between them, and rebuilding their lives.
  As we have not had the benefit of Government supported case 
management, nonprofits and the faith-based community have stepped in to 
fill the obvious void. Unfortunately, the same community that has been 
such a lifeline to the people of the Gulf Coast has been barred from 
competing for Federal funding under Section 426.
  This is a shocking turnaround for an administration that has put so 
much emphasis on including the faith-based community in Government 
programming. I believe that the instinct to incorporate programs that 
are organic to the community, and are already working, was a good one. 
It is clear to me that case management services are prime examples of 
programs that should incorporate the faith-based community.
  So, as you can see, circumstances have compelled me to clarify 
Congressional intent. The bill I am introducing today does two things. 
First, it makes Section 426 retroactive to 2005, so that it may cover 
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Secondly, it strikes the phrase 
``qualified private organizations'' which has been misinterpreted to 
exclude the faith-based community. That phrase has been replaced with 
``nonprofit or faith-based organization with experience in case 
management services.'' It is unfortunate that we have arrived at the 
point where a legislative solution is needed. But nevertheless, I 
believe that this legislation resolves the problem, and will give 
comfort to the people of the Gulf Coast that Federal monies are being 
spent wisely, and given to those that have shown themselves capable and 
willing to help.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill and 
letters of support be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                                S. 2335

       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 ``Case Management Services 
     Improvement Act of 2007''.

     SEC. 2. CASE MANAGEMENT SERVICES.

       (a) In General.--Section 426 of the Robert T. Stafford 
     Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 
     5189d) is amended by striking ``qualified private 
     organizations'' and inserting ``nonprofit or faith-based 
     organizations with experience in case management services''.
       (b) Applicability.--Section 426 of the Robert T. Stafford 
     Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 
     5189d), as amended by this Act, shall apply to any major 
     disaster (as that term is defined in section 102 of the 
     Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance 
     Act (42 U.S.C. 5122)) declared on or after January 1, 2005.
                                  ____

                                                  United Methodist


                                          Committee On Relief,

                                 Washington, DC, October 25, 2007.
     Hon. Mary Landrieu,
     U.S. Senate,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Landrieu, I am writing on behalf of the United 
     Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), to express my strong 
     support for the Case Management Services Improvement Act of 
     2007.
       UMCOR is the not-for-profit global humanitarian aid 
     organization of the United Methodist Church, working in more 
     than 80 countries worldwide, For domestic disasters, UMCOR 
     maintains a corps of trained disaster response specialists 
     for quick reinforcement of local efforts, and keeps a supply 
     of relief materials in warehouses to be dispatched as 
     required. These practices proved invaluable in the aftermath 
     of Hurricane Katrina when, as one of the founding members of 
     the Katrina Aid Today (KAT) coalition, UMCOR played a vital 
     role in helping nearly 200,000 individuals rebuild their 
     lives. UMCOR also served as the KAT's fiscal agent, 
     overseeing the administration of over $70 million in federal 
     funding and an addition contribution of over $70 million in 
     private dollars to Hurricane Katrina's victims.
       The broad language currently contained within the Robert T. 
     Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act offers 
     federal funding to ``qualified private organizations'' to 
     provide case management services to individuals affected by 
     major disasters. Unfortunately, this language does not 
     recognize the extent to which organizations such as UMCOR 
     have efficiently and effectively provided these services in 
     the past. Through the Case Management Services Improvement 
     Act of 2007, you recognize and highlight the value of the 
     disaster-related case management services provided by 
     mission-driven, faith-based or non-profit organizations, 
     value that can not be duplicated by less-experienced, profit-
     driven private companies.
       Please let me know if the United Methodist Committee on 
     Relief, or the other members of Katrina Aid Today, can be of 
     any

[[Page S14289]]

     assistance as you proceed in getting this important 
     legislation passed. Again, we appreciate the Introduction of 
     this significant bill.
           Sincerely,

                                          F. Thomas Hazelwood,

                                      Assistant General Secretary,
     UMCOR Emergency Services U.S.
                                  ____

                                                 October 25, 2007.
     Hon. Mary Landrieu
     U.S. Senate,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Landrieu, On behalf of Lutheran Disaster 
     Response, I am writing to express my full support for the 
     Case Management Services Improvement Act of 2007. This 
     legislation is of great importance to all individuals 
     affected by major disasters, as it will allow them to receive 
     case management services from the non-profit and faith-based 
     organizations that have a long and successful history of 
     carrying out these activities,
       Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR) is a mission-driven 
     collaborative ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in 
     America and The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. We have a 
     long history of effective case management following major 
     disasters, and in partnership with other faith-based, non-
     profit voluntary organizations such as the United Methodist 
     Committee on Relief, played a vital role in helping nearly 
     200,000 individuals rebuild their lives in the aftermath of 
     Hurricane Katrina, This collaboration of non-profit voluntary 
     agencies, known as Katrina Aid Today, established a strong 
     partnership with FEMA and effectively administered over $70 
     million in federal funding to disaster victims. Additionally, 
     we matched this federal funding with another $70 million in 
     private dollars, providing a comprehensive continuum of care 
     that addressed the needs of each survivor,
       As you know, the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
     Emergency Assistance Act currently offers federal funding to 
     ``qualified private organizations'' to provide case 
     management services to individuals affected by major 
     disasters, This broad language does not recognize the 
     organizations that have provided these services efficiently 
     in the past, such as Lutheran Disaster Response. Through the 
     Case Management Services Improvement Act of 2007, you 
     recognize and highlight the value of disaster-related case 
     management services provided by mission-driven, faith-based 
     or non-profit organizations, rather than leaving these vital 
     responsibilities to less- experienced private companies that 
     answer to shareholders,
       Please let me know if Lutheran Disaster Response, or the 
     other members of Katrina Aid Today, can be of any assistance 
     as you proceed in getting this important legislation passed. 
     Again, we appreciate the introduction of this significant 
     bill.
           Sincerely,

                                              Heather Feltman,

                                                         Director,
     Lutheran Disaster Response.
                                  ____



                                            Katrina Aid Today,

                                 Washington, DC, October 25, 2007.
     Hon. Mary Landrieu,
     U.S. Senate,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Landrieu: I am writing to express my full 
     support for the Case Management Services Improvement Act of 
     2007 on behalf of United Methodist Committee on Relief's 
     Katrina Aid Today program. This legislation is of great 
     importance to all individuals affected by major disasters, as 
     it will allow them to receive case management services from 
     the non-profit and faith-based organizations that have a long 
     and successful history of carrying out these activities.
       Katrina Aid Today (KAT) is a consortium of 10 social 
     service and voluntary organizations, dedicated to helping 
     survivors navigate the system as they recovered from this 
     tragic disruption of their lives. Member organizations 
     include Catholic Charities USA, Lutheran Disaster Response, 
     Episcopal Relief & Development, the United Methodist 
     Committee on Relief, and the Salvation Army, among others. 
     Following Hurricane Katrina, KAT administered over $70 
     million in federal funding for disaster case management, 
     helping nearly 200,000 individuals rebuild their lives. 
     Additionally, the partner organizations within KAT matched 
     this federal funding with another $70 million in private 
     dollars, providing a comprehensive continuum of care that 
     addressed the needs of each survivor.
       Currently, the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
     Emergency Assistance Act overlooks the valuable work of the 
     faith-based organizations that have effectively provided 
     these services in the past, by broadly allowing ``qualified 
     private organizations'' to provide case management services 
     to individuals affected by major disasters. In the Case 
     Management Services Improvement Act of 2007, you recognize 
     the value in having disaster-related case management services 
     provided by mission-driven, faith-based or non-profit 
     organizations such as KAT, rather than leaving these vital 
     responsibilities to less-experienced private companies that 
     must answer to shareholders.
       Please let us know if any of the members of Katrina Aid 
     Today can be of any assistance as you proceed in passing the 
     Case Management Services Improvement Act of 2007. Thank you 
     for your efforts and time on this matter.
           Sincerely,

                                                      Jim Cox,

                                                            UMCOR,
                                               Executive Director.
                                 ______