Washington, DC – Today, Congressman William J. Jefferson (D-La.) testified before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management.  The hearing was focused on problems that still linger in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.  Members of both the Mississippi and Louisiana delegations participated.

      Congressman Jefferson’s greatest concerns for New Orleans and parts of Jefferson Parish are:

• The lack of transitional housing for evacuees who want to return home
  Jefferson said, “Without adequate transitional housing stock, our residents have no choice but to stay away from the city they call home…A good option for housing displaced residents would be to expand the rental reimbursement program and provide more flexibility to meet the needs of specific disasters.”
  
  
• FEMA’s incompetence at handling some foreign nations’ generous offers of funds and assistance to hurricane victims; inadequate facilities to store food on reserve for  future hurricane victims
  Jefferson said, “We must increase our storage network’s capabilities and establish a streamlined process by which donations in kind can be accepted and distributed.  The US government should never again be in a position to turn down the generosity of other nations due to our own logistical problems.”
  
  
• Current safeguards in the Stafford Act designed to ensure that local businesses receive contracts have proven ineffective
  Jefferson said, “Local preference guidelines must be codified to ensure that a specific number of contracts go to businesses in affected areas.  The current language gives a preference to local businesses, but provides no mechanism or guidelines for its enforcement.”
  
  
• Logjams that result at the state level in CDBG Funding
  Jefferson said, “Funding that is okayed by Congress must be approved by the state, where it is slowed down by the legislature…State legislators outside of severely affected areas have ended up having disproportionate influence over where the funding actually goes .  The end result is that badly needed funds are not flowing nearly as quickly as they should, or in the full amounts to ravaged areas that Congress originally intended.  To fix this problem, money should be granted directly to parishes or counties based on the devastation each sustained.”