Hurricane Katrina Recovery, Reclamation, Restoration, Reconstruction and Reunion Act (HR 4197)

This bill, representing a collaborative effort among Members in the Congressional Black Caucus, is the most comprehensive relief and recovery package that has been introduced in Congress to date. I list it on my website because I contributed the second title of HR 4197, which is basically the same language as Title I of HR 4139, calling for a Comprehensive Sampling and Toxicity Assessment Plan (CESTAP), including a thorough effort to inform the public and remove or eliminate harmful contaminants.

As a whole this bill seeks to restore as nearly as possible the lives of the survivors of Hurricane Katrina to their condition of life prior to the hurricane. To this end, HR 4197 would offer alternate land and/or housing as compensation to residents whose homes or businesses were destroyed or permanently compromised. The bill would revive the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) Emergency Response and Recovery Act of 2005 to provide for reimbursement to states for benefits provided under part A of Title IV of the Social Security Act to families from other states affected by Hurricane Katrina. Other vital programs for survivors in this bill include:

a program of emergency health coverage

emergency extended unemployment compensation

housing and education requirements

protection of voting rights for Katrina evacuees

regulatory relief for financial services

disaster loans and small business relief

tax credits for eligible homebuyers who purchase a principal residence in the Hurricane Katrina disaster area

tax-exempt bonds for qualified Gulf Coast recovery projects

federal bankruptcy code exemptions for victims of natural disasters,

including small businesses, from certain requirements for debtors

seeking relief

a temporary flood insurance buy-in program.