District 6 Congressman Garret Graves introduces legislation aimed at streamlining federal disaster recovery assistance for storms and hurricanes. On Talk 107.3 in Baton Rouge, Graves says current disaster recovery programs are bogged down in costly federal red tape that only an expert can negotiate, which leaves storm-ravaged local governments few options in trying to help residents…:
“All of these have to HIRE these specialists and pay them – in some cases, hundreds of millions of dollars – in order to (quote) ‘properly’ spend the dollars.”
The Natural Disaster Recovery Program Act would create block grants under FEMA for “unmet needs,” and empowers local governments to decide where and when to best spend those dollars. Graves co-sponsors the bill with Congressman David Rouzer of North Carolina; a state that has seen its share of hurricane impact and knows the problems with major storm recovery. Graves says getting support for the bill from fellow coastal states is not a concern, but…:
“…where we run into problems is trying to go to someone from Oklahoma or someone in Iowa and trying to explain to them why this is something that’s important.”
Graves says, if passed and signed by the President, the bill will help clear red tape and bureaucratic log jams that delay storm victims returning to their homes…:
“I think it’s a better way of doing it. It’ll be faster. It’ll be much more efficient; not siphoning off all the money for the contractors and program managers…but rather actually spending the money ON disaster victims and getting it out the door faster.”
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