[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 107 (Tuesday, July 20, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H5740-H5742]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 NATIONAL COMMISSION ON CHILDREN AND DISASTERS REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 
                                  2010

  Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 5266) to extend the final report deadline and otherwise 
reauthorize the National Commission on Children and Disasters.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 5266

       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 ``National Commission on 
     Children and Disasters Reauthorization Act of 2010''.

     SEC. 2. NATIONAL COMMISSION ON CHILDREN AND DISASTERS 
                   REAUTHORIZATION.

       (a) Deadline for Filling Vacancies.--Paragraph (2) of 
     section 605(g) of the Kids in Disasters Well-being, Safety, 
     and Health Act

[[Page H5741]]

     of 2007 (title VI of division G of the Consolidated 
     Appropriations Act, 2008 (Public Law 110-161; 121 Stat. 1844, 
     2213)) is amended by inserting ``not later than 90 days after 
     the date of vacancy'' after ``shall be filled''.
       (b) Frequency of Interim Reports.--Subsection (a) of 
     section 611 of the Kids in Disasters Well-being, Safety, and 
     Health Act of 2007 is amended--
       (1) in the subsection heading, by striking ``Interim 
     Report'' and inserting ``Interim Reports''; and
       (2) by inserting ``and annually thereafter'' after ``first 
     meeting''.
       (c) Deadline for Final Report.--Subsection (c) of section 
     611 of the Kids in Disasters Well-being, Safety, and Health 
     Act of 2007 is amended by striking ``not later than 2 years 
     after the date of its first meeting'' and inserting ``not 
     later than December 31, 2012''.
       (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 612 of such 
     Act is amended to read as follows:

     ``SEC. 612. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       ``(a) In General.--There is authorized to be appropriated 
     to carry out this title $1,500,000 for each of fiscal years 
     2008 through 2012, and $1,000,000 for fiscal year 2013.
       ``(b) Availability.--Amounts made available pursuant to 
     subsection (a) shall remain available until expended.''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton) and the gentleman from Louisiana 
(Mr. Cao) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia.


                             General Leave

  Ms. NORTON. Madam 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. 5266.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from the District of Columbia?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. NORTON. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise to support H.R. 5266 and ask for the support of 
the House. It is a bill to reauthorize the National Commission on 
Children and Disasters, sponsored by my colleague from Florida, 
Representative Corrine Brown.
  The National Commission on Children and Disasters was created as a 
result of the indelible lessons of Hurricane Katrina and as a result of 
the effects that disaster had on children. The commission was 
authorized by the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure in the 
Kids in Disasters Well Being Act of 2007, which was also sponsored by 
Chairwoman Brown.
  The commission's work has been well received, and many of its 
recommendations have been implemented, especially those related to the 
Federal Emergency Management Agency. I was pleased to chair a hearing 
of the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and 
Emergency Management that received testimony from Mark Shriver, the 
chair of the commission, on its interim report when it was issued last 
October.
  The commission just issued a progress report on May 11, and I 
recently had a talk with Chairman Shriver about that report. While FEMA 
has made good progress on many of the recommendations, other agencies 
have not; and, therefore, the commission's work remains incomplete. The 
subcommittee will continue to work with the commission on the 
implementation of its recommendations.
  H.R. 5266, the National Commission on Children and Disasters Act of 
2010, reauthorizes the commission by extending the deadline for its 
final report until December 31, 2012, and requires annual interim 
reports from the commission. The commission will sunset 180 days after 
the date of its final report.
  H.R. 5266 authorizes appropriations of $1.5 million in fiscal years 
2011 and 2012 and $1 million in fiscal year 2013, the final year of the 
commission. The bill also rectifies a problem the commission 
experienced at the outset when it took nearly 5 months for all of the 
members of the commission to be appointed. The bill requires vacancies 
to be filled in 90 days, which should help minimize any delays in the 
commission's work in the event of a vacancy.
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 
5266, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CAO. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I stand to support H.R. 5266.
  In 2007, Congress created the National Commission on Children and 
Disasters to examine the needs of children in preparing for, responding 
to, and recovering from disasters. One lesson we learned from Hurricane 
Katrina is that we must ensure that our preparation for and response to 
disasters incorporate the unique needs of children. During Hurricane 
Katrina, many children were separated from their families, and schools 
and child care facilities were destroyed.
  I had a personal experience of that as it took me about 2 weeks after 
Hurricane Katrina to find a child care facility for my daughters. At 
that time, one was 3 years old, and the other was around 9 months. It 
became clear that focused attention to children would be critical to 
helping families through a major disaster and through the recovery 
process.
  The National Commission on Children and Disasters was created to 
ensure there is focused attention on the needs of children in 
disasters. The commission submitted an interim report last year, and 
under current law, a final report is due in October 2010. However, 
additional time is needed to allow for the proper review of the issues 
and to ensure full implementation of the commission's interim 
recommendations.
  This legislation will provide the commission with the additional time 
to complete this important work. H.R. 5266 will ensure that the needs 
of children are properly incorporated in our preparation for and 
response to disasters.
  I support the passage of this legislation, and urge my colleagues to 
do the same.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to 
the sponsor of the bill, the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Corrine 
Brown).
  Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise today to urge my 
colleagues to support H.R. 5266, the National Commission on Children 
and Disasters Reauthorization Act.
  I would like to thank Chairman Oberstar and subcommittee Chairwoman 
Norton for their hard work and assistance in bringing this bill 
forward.
  I would also like to thank Mark Shriver, the commission chair, for 
his work and dedication to children.
  You all have provided crucial support in the creation of the National 
Commission on Children and Disasters and continue to do so in advancing 
this important bill to allow the commission to continue its important 
work.
  The passage of H.R. 5266, the National Commission on Children and 
Disasters Reauthorization Act of 2010, is of extreme importance to our 
Nation's efforts in protecting our Nation's children before, during, 
and following a disaster.
  In the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, I authored the KIDS 
WiSH Act to improve Federal, State, tribal, and local disaster 
preparedness, response and recovery efforts for children who make up 
nearly 25 percent of our population but whose needs are often 
overlooked in disasters. Children are not little adults, and their 
needs are unique and cannot be easily inferred from disaster plans 
prepared only for adults.
  The commission delivered its interim report in October 2009, which 
identified numerous gaps and made recommendations related to disaster 
management and recovery, child physical and mental health, education, 
child care, child welfare, juvenile justice, emergency sheltering, 
housing, evacuation, and family reunification.
  As President Obama's administration has taken shape, the commission 
has played a vital role in fostering communication and coordination 
among Federal agencies and their partners in implementing the 
recommendations. While there are encouraging signs that the unique 
needs of children are receiving greater attention, there is still a 
great deal of important work ahead for the commission beyond the 
current fiscal year.
  Just recently, in fact, in its interim report issued 8 months ago, 
the commission released a report which tracks the progress toward the 
implementation of the recommendations. Although the commission found 
that Federal agencies have taken some initial positive steps, many 
crucial recommendations remain substantially unad-

[[Page H5742]]

dressed, leaving children needlessly vulnerable in disasters. 
Therefore, I wholeheartedly believe that more work is needed to be done 
to bring about sweeping and permanent changes in the Nation's disaster 
planning and management, which still heavily favor able-bodied adults.
  I encourage all of my colleagues to support our Nation's children and 
to vote ``yes'' on this bill.
  Mr. CAO. I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the 
balance of my time.
  Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I want to join the chairwoman, Ms. Corrine 
Brown, not only in asking the House to pass this bill, but to commend 
her.

                              {time}  1420

  The chairwoman discovered this issue and acted on it. She discovered 
it in Florida, when there were refugees, as it were, from Katrina. She 
was moved by it. She decided to do, in fact, work on the ground in 
Florida for these children and others who were caught in Katrina, and 
she followed up with legislation, and never let up until this very day. 
And I know she won't let up until the other body sees fit also to pass 
the bill.
  So I want to commend her for her discovery of a vital issue that my 
own committee, which has jurisdiction over FEMA, had not noted with 
nearly as much attention as the gentlelady from Florida.
  I want also to note the work of Mark Schreiber, whose work on the 
commission went far beyond his chairmanship. He took this cause unto 
his own, pressed it with all that he had, and deserves great credit for 
making sure that we got to the day when we would pass the bill.
  Mr. OBERSTAR. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 5266, 
the ``National Commission on Children and Disasters Reauthorization Act 
of 2010'', which extends the authorization for the Commission on 
Children and Disasters for an additional two years. I thank the 
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Brown) for introducing this bill and the 
attention she has brought to the issue of the needs of children in 
disasters.
  In 2007, Congress enacted the Kids in Disasters Well-being, Safety, 
and Health Act of 2007 as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act 
(P.L. 110-161). This legislation established a 10-member Commission to 
examine the needs of children in response to and recovery from 
disasters and emergencies. The bill required the Commission to submit a 
final report to Congress with its findings two years after the date of 
the first meeting of the Commission, and sunset the authorization for 
the Commission 180 days after the submission of the final report.
  Under current law, the report of the Commission is due in October 
2010. H.R. 5266 extends the date for the final report to December 31, 
2012, and requires annual interim reports from the Commission in the 
intervening years.
  The Commission was created as a result of lessons learned from 
Hurricane Katrina, a disaster that affected thousands of children. As 
the Commission's May 2010 Progress Report reminds us, more recent 
disasters--such as last year's tsunami in American Samoa, this year's 
devastating earthquake in Haiti, and the recent H1N1 outbreak--
disproportionately affected children compared to adults. However, 
serious impacts on children can occur in a disaster of any magnitude. 
Last month, tornadoes spread across my home state of Minnesota. The 
hardest hit area was Wadena, in my district, where preliminary damage 
assessments indicated that the community bore 90 percent of the damage 
to infrastructure and emergency response costs.
  Shortly after the storm, I was in Wadena and saw the damage first-
hand. One of the worst hit facilities was the Wadena Deer Creek High 
School, which was damaged beyond repair. Following a disaster, it is 
essential to reopen schools as quickly as possible in order to restore 
a sense of normalcy and stability for children and families. Children 
need to resume their education and reconnect with their friends, and 
with schools open, parents can get back to work. We are fortunate in 
Wadena that while the high school is being restored, the district will 
be able to use a recently closed parochial school and a local community 
and technical college campus.
  We are also fortunate, as the Commission's May 2010 Progress Report 
points out, that Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has made 
good progress in implementing the recommendations of the Commission, 
including the appointment of a Children's Working Group that reports 
directly to the Administrator. Unfortunately, other Federal agencies 
have been slow to implement the Commission's recommendations and, as a 
result, the work of the Commission remains incomplete.
  In October 2009, the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public 
Buildings, and Emergency Management held a hearing on the then-newly 
issued interim report of the Commission. Based on the testimony at this 
hearing and the Commission's findings, I included language in H.R. 
3377, the ``Disaster Response, Recovery and Mitigation Act of 2009'', 
to require the Administrator of FEMA to take into account the 
recommendations of the Commission when drafting or updating agency 
plans, strategies, regulations, and policies. It is important for the 
Commission to be extended so it can advise Congress and the President 
on how FEMA is meeting this requirement.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 5266.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to support H.R. 
5266, the National Commission on Children and Disasters Reauthorization 
Act of 2010. I commend my colleague on the Transportation Committee, 
Representative Brown, for her work on this legislation and I urge my 
colleagues to support this bill.
  Madam Speaker, the National Commission on Children and Disasters is 
conducting a comprehensive study that examines and assesses children's 
needs as they relate to preparation for, response to, and recovery from 
all hazards, including major disasters and emergencies. The Commission 
will review relevant laws, regulations, and policies and report its 
findings and recommendations to the President and Congress.
  This legislation, which reauthorizes this important commission, will 
also extend the deadline for submission of the final report to December 
31, 2012. Due to delays in the appointment of Commission members and 
receipt of funding, the Commission was unable to hold its first meeting 
until 10 months after it was created. As a result, the work of the 
Commission remains incomplete and, without reauthorization, the 
Commission will be required to issue its final report on October 14, 
2010, and will sunset 180 days thereafter.
  According to the committee report for this bill, children comprise 
nearly 25 percent of the U.S. population; however, disaster plans are 
written largely for able-bodied adults, meaning that before, during, 
and after disasters, the unique needs of children are overlooked, 
unmet, and misunderstood. This legislation is necessary to ensure that 
the commission can complete its important work which will have lasting 
effects on the safety of children before, during, and after a disaster.
  I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
  Ms. NORTON. Madam 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. 5266.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________