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Senator Clinton Introduces FEMA Legislation

Upon her return from visiting victims of Hurricane Katrina in Houston, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton introduced legislation to restore FEMA to Cabinet-level, independent federal agency status to ensure it has the authority to effectively manage recovery efforts for future national crises.

The legislation Senator Clinton announced will restore FEMA to Cabinet-level rank and establish it once again as an independent agency. The FEMA Director would report directly to the President and would have full authority to coordinate with all agencies and take whatever executive action is necessary to ensure needed resources and recovery personnel are deployed to impacted areas in an efficient and timely manner.

The independent Katrina Commission would be modeled after the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States convened in the wake of September 11. The Katrina Commission would be charged with providing a comprehensive and unbiased evaluation of what could and should have been done to avoid the extraordinary damage, the loss of life, the evacuation problems and the inadequate relief efforts that have exacerbated the dislocation and suffering of thousands of Americans affected by Hurricane Katrina.