Category: Kathleen D. Tobin
Tighter Travel to Canada
WASHINGTON, Oct. 20 – It may soon take New Hampshire residents a little more planning to drive across the border into Canada.
All travelers entering or reentering the United States by land would be required to have a passport or other specified secure document as of Dec. 31, 2007, according to the proposed Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative under consideration by the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of State.
And, beginning Dec. 31, 2006, the same requirement would apply to all persons entering or reentering the United States by air or sea from Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean and Bermuda.
“We need to ensure that initiatives aimed at increasing the security of our borders do not unnecessarily burden law-abiding citizens,” New Hampshire Rep. Charles Bass said in a press release Monday. “For many Granite Staters, easy access to Canada is essential to their livelihood.”
Bass encouraged constituents to contact his Littleton office with their views on the proposed changes.
Other than a passport, other forms of secure identification under consideration are the Travelers Rapid Inspection (SENTRI) card, the NEXUS card, the Free and Secure Trade (FAST) card and the Border Crossing Card, according to the State Department.
Proponents of the initiative say it would strengthen border security against terrorist threats. The proposal is a result of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, which mandated that the Secretary of Homeland Security, along with the Secretary of State, implement a plan that requires U.S. citizens and foreign nationals to present appropriate, secure identification before entering the country.
Because the new requirements will affect many citizens, the two federal departments are seeking public comment on the initiative before making a final decision, according to a press release.
The initiative, which was recommended by the 9/11 Commission, will not affect travel between the United States and its territories.
New Hampshire Sen. Judd Gregg, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, said he looks forward to working with the Department of Homeland Security on the implementation of this initiative.
“New Hampshire citizens have always enjoyed the ability to cross the Canadian border with relative ease,” he said in a statement to the Union Leader Wednesday. “I hope we are able to develop a system that will allow that to continue while ensuring that we are properly safeguarding our borders against those who wish to enter our country to do us harm.”
John Sununu, New Hampshire’s other senator, said he too wants to ensure that the initiative protects citizens without unnecessarily limiting citizens’ travel.
“I share the concerns of U.S. citizens living along the border who feel the initiative may be overly burdensome, especially those in northern New Hampshire who routinely cross the border as part of their daily activities,” Sununu said in a statement to the Union Leader.
“Make no mistake; in order to help secure our borders, we must verify the identity of those entering this country, including U.S. citizens returning from Canada and Mexico,” he said, adding that to accomplish this “we need to make sure the identification presented to border security personnel is as secure as possible.”
Rep. Jeb Bradley said he sees the initiative as a positive way to protect the country “The events of September 11th showed that terrorists could cross our borders too easily with fake documents, or legal documents obtained fraudulently,” Bradley said in a statement to the Union Leader. “Nineteen of the 9/11 hijackers had multiple licenses and state I.D. cards which enabled them to board the four airplanes and attack our nation. The 9/11 Commission recommended tighter border security by requiring U.S. citizens and legitimate foreign visitors to show a passport upon entry to the United States.” “This will strengthen our border security and establish a universal form of documentation for entry into our country,” Bradley added
Sixteen and on Capitol Hill
WASHINGTON, Oct. 18 - Unlike most 16-year-olds, John Atsalis does not spend his days at school socializing and making plans for the weekend. He does not spend his evenings at high school football games or track practice.
Instead, Atsalis, of Exeter, is spending the first half of his junior year as close to politics as he can get--on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington.
"The biggest thing about the routine is that there is no routine," Atsalis said in an interview on Capitol Hill last week. "Every day is different."
Along with 64 other high school juniors from across the country, Atsalis, a student at Exeter High School, is participating in the House Page Program, in which he attends classes in the morning and works on Capitol Hill in the afternoon.
"We're on the floor, so we see what goes on, and then the next day we read it in the newspaper," Atsalis said. "We really are there."
The program, which has its counterpart in the Senate, began more than 200 years ago and provides high school juniors with the opportunity to see congressional proceedings up close while performing important tasks such as delivering correspondence, legislative materials and small packages within Capitol Hill and assisting representatives.
During their time in Washington, House pages live in a dormitory only two and a half blocks from the Capitol and receive a monthly gross salary of $1,515.92, though they must pay $400 for their food and housing.
"I think it's a wonderful experience," said Atsalis' mother, Leone, a commercial pilot. "He gets the insider's point of view."
His uncle serves in the Massachusetts legislature, but Atsalis' mother said her son's interest in politics began much earlier. When he was eight, she said, he knew the names of all of the Presidents of the United States.
"I think it's who he is," his mother said. "He was just that kind of kid."
Atsalis said he learned of the page program from a co-worker of his father's, Konstantinos, who also is a pilot.
After reviewing the House and Senate program applications during the winter of his freshman year, Atsalis said, he knew it was something he wanted to pursue.
Admitting she was nervous her son would not get into the program, Atsalis' mother said she was also worried about letting her son go so far away from home at such a young age.
Though the program offers two three-week summer sessions, which do not require students to attend classes and would have allowed Atsalis to run cross-country races this fall, indoor track this winter and not leave his friends for such an extended period of time, he said he wanted to attend class at the Page School to obtain the full experience.
"The school aspect, while it leads to really long nights and really early mornings, is really fun," Atsalis said, adding that he is excited about being outside of New England for a winter.
Before getting accepted into the program, Atsalis had to obtain recommendations from teachers and friends, write an essay and obtain sponsorship from a member of New Hampshire's congressional delegation.
After applying to both the Senate Page Program through Sen. Judd Gregg and the House Page Program with the assistance of Rep. Jeb Bradley, Atsalis learned this summer that he had been accepted into the House program.
"Pages play an important role in the day-to-day operations of the U.S. House of Representatives and provide an invaluable service to Members of Congress," Rep. Jeb Bradley told the Union Leader. "John is a bright young man, and I know he will experience many new ideas and challenges as a House page."
Though Atsalis later learned that he was a strong candidate for the Senate program, he said he is glad to be in the House program.
"Nothing against the Senate, but more things happen here," he said. "It's much more nuts and bolts."
As competitive and prestigious as admission into the program is, it is a lot of hard work too, Atsalis said.
"On a good day," Atsalis said he wakes at 5 a.m. and begins classes at the House Page School in the attic of the Library of Congress at 6:45 a.m.
"It all depends on how late you went to bed the night before," he added.
During classes, which range from 12 to 50 minutes depending on the House schedule that day, Atsalis studies British literature, chemistry, intermediate Spanish, pre-calculus with trigonometry and government and politics.
In addition, Atsalis will receive credit for a course called Washington Seminar, which provides students with prominent speakers and offers field trips throughout the Washington area, as well as credit for his time working in the House.
"You get used to the fact that you're not going to get an A," Atsalis said, adding that the program involves a lot of pop quizzes and mandatory study hall if a student fails to maintain an 80 percent average or drops below the grade he or she has "contracted" for with the instructor.
Atsalis said he has had to attend study hall once, in science, for receiving a grade below that for which he has contracted.
"It's a pretty small program, with maybe 15 kids in each class," Atsalis said. "This is really like a private school, and we describe ourselves as public-private."
Aside from his classes and time on the floor, Atsalis said he enjoys meeting people from different parts of the country.
"We have more people from the South, which is interesting because I get to meet new people, especially when we have sports rivalries going on," he said.
There are only two other House pages from New England, one from Connecticut and one from Massachusetts.
"We have a lot of different cultures," he said. "But at the same time, that's what America is, a bunch of different cultures."
Atsalis, who has many interests such as politics, aviation and engineering, said he would like to be a politician one day though he is open to other options.
He is scheduled to return home in January, but Atsalis said he would enjoy staying in Washington for the whole year if reappointed.
"It's such a nice life here," he said. "When you go home, it's going to be difficult to realize you don't have to get up as early, that you don't have to go through metal detectors all the time."
Sununu and Gregg on Miers Nomination
WASHINGTON, Oct. 5- New Hampshire's Republican senators are taking a wait-and-see approach when it comes to revealing their positions on Harriet Miers, President George W. Bush's nominee to the Supreme Court.
"I look forward to closely reviewing the record and résumé of the President's nomination of Harriet Miers for the Supreme Court," Sen. Judd Gregg said in a statement Tuesday.
"The nomination hearings for now Chief Justice Roberts went smoothly and did not fall to partisan politics, and I would expect that this nominee will be afforded the same civility and respect of a dignified, fair hearing," Gregg added.
Sen. John Sununu described Miers as "a seasoned attorney with a demonstrated commitment to public service" who "has served the nation at the highest levels of government"
"I look forward to reviewing her credentials and working with my colleagues to ensure that her nomination receives a thorough and fair review," Sununu said in a statement Tuesday.
To be confirmed, Miers must receive majority approval from the Senate Committee on the Judiciary. If approved by the committee, Miers must then receive majority approval from the whole Senate.
Overall, Americans are less supportive of the nomination of Miers than they were of Roberts' nomination in July, according to a CNN/USA Today Gallup Poll released Tuesday.
Only 44 percent of Americans felt the Miers nomination was "excellent" or "good," while 41 percent thought it was "fair" or poor," the poll revealed. The remaining 15 percent had no opinion.
Of the participants who described themselves as conservative, 58 percent said the Miers nomination was "excellent" or "good." In a CNN/USA Gallop Poll measuring the public's opinion of the Roberts nomination, 77 percent of Americans who considered themselves conservative felt the nomination was "excellent" or "good."
Though they do not have the opportunity to vote on judicial nominations, New Hampshire's House members also are following the issue closely.
Acknowledging Miers' lack of judicial experience, Rep. Charles Bass said he believes the Senate will fairly and comprehensively evaluate her.
"Thirty-five justices have served on the Supreme Court who did not have prior bench experience, including the late Chief Justice William Rehnquist," Bass said in a press release. "I am confident that the Senate will thoroughly review Harriet Miers' credentials during the confirmation process."
Rep. Jeb Bradley said he believes "Harriet Miers is an experienced attorney with a long record of public service. Ms. Miers deserves a fair hearing of her credentials, and it is my hope that the Senate will proceed with the confirmation process in a thorough and deliberate manner."
U.S. Companies Still Need Innovation Despite Regulation
WASHINGTON, Oct. 5 - The real challenge to the United States isn't terrorism but maintaining a competitive position in the growing global market, Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.), chairman of the Senate banking subcommittee on securities and investment, said Wednesday.
The senator spoke as a part of a panel hosted by U.S. News & World Report magazine on whether the Sarbanes-Oxley Act has restored investor confidence since it was enacted in 2002.
Hailed as the most significant change to the country's securities law since the New Deal in the 1930s, Sarbanes-Oxley was designed to protect investors by improving the reliability and accuracy of corporate disclosures. The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board was created as a result of the act.
Hagel said regulations like the Sarbanes-Oxley, while not intending to foster a risk-free corporate culture, could restrict innovation and growth.
The panelists-William J. McDonough, chairman of the Accounting Oversight Board; John J. Castellani, president of the Business Roundtable; Alyssa Machold Ellsworth, managing director of the Council of Institutional Investors; and Hagel-agreed that the act has made strides in improving transparency in financial disclosure, a needed measure after the Enron, WorldCom and Tyco scandals.
As a result, however, some companies are already risk averse, McDonough said. The question to think about, he said, is "How do we keep the virtue of Sarbanes-Oxley and have business leaders keep taking risks?"
As with any new routine, said Ellsworth, company executives are adjusting to their new roles, and striking a balance will come with time.
"This is the most vibrant market in the world," she said.
Sarbanes-Oxley has been very effective for larger companies that have developed compliance oversight boards and have had long-standing relationships with auditors, McDonough said. But for others, compliance regulations haven't been cost-effective, he said.
The panelists recommended that Congress should consider legislation to make the act more manageable for small-to-mid size companies that don't have ample resources to comply with the paperwork and labor-intensive requirements.
Clear disclosure of chief executives' compensation, was another hot button, especially for investors. Though the law requires disclosure of compensation, critics say companies are sometimes vague on the details.
"Shareholders see red on this issue," Ellsworth said.
Agreeing with other panelists, Castellani said compensation shouldn't be legislated but industry guidelines should be drawn up so investors can understand how CEOs are paid.
He said that salaries should be linked to long-term performance, determined by independent company committees and that executives shouldn't be rewarded for underperformance.
Changes to the legislation won't come any time soon though, Hagel said, adding that it falls low on a list of congressional priorities that include Hurricane Katrina relief.
"It is important to let [the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board] play this out," he said. "We have to be careful that Congress doesn't regulate the regulators."
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Bass Initiates Aid Project in Peterborough, N.H., for Collins, Miss.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 29 - Two weeks after New Hampshire Rep. Charles Bass began a project to establish an aid relationship between his home town of Peterborough, N.H., and the small town of Collins, Miss., the effort has extended to include eight other New England communities and raised more than $20,000.
"It keeps the charity that we need to provide to these people alive longer than it might," Bass said Thursday. "Katrina and Rita will fade away after a while because there will be new issues, but this is not going to be that because it's about Peterborough and what Peterborough can do for Collins."
Bass said he hopes the project, which is called "The Monadnock Express," will raise $100,000 by Oct. 30.
Collins, a town of about 3,000 people with an annual average income of $22,000, was left scrambling to rebuild after Hurricane Katrina struck the area, destroying the town's only grocery store, damaging homes, devastating the resident's crops and leaving a large quantity of trees and other debris scattered throughout town.
Collins Mayor V.O. Smith said he is excited that towns in New Hampshire are assisting.
"We just appreciate the communities in other states thinking about these small towns," Smith said. "The large towns get identified and they kind of leave us out."
Gretchen Judd, the project's organizer from Peterborough, said other New Hampshire communities such as Antrim, Bennington, Dublin, Francestown, Greenfield, Hancock, Sharon and Temple are also actively participating in The Monadnock Express.
The aid to Collins also has expanded to included assistance for other surrounding communities in Mississippi's Covington County.
"It's important that everyone, if they feel they want to be a part of this, that they be a part of it," Judd said. "My heart goes out to them. I want to help them in any way I can, whether it's giving them a smile, a hand shake, a hug or a five dollar bill. I want to be there for them."
On Wednesday, Sept . 21, after overcoming the difficult task of finding a ride from the airport in Jackson, Miss., some 90 miles from Collins, Monadnock Express volunteers Liz Verney of Hancock, N.H., and Michelle Carter of Peterborough, N.H., arrived in Collins to meet Smith and otherresidents and assess the town's needs.
"There were piles and piles of debris alongside the roads," Carter said. "There are no working traffic lights in town. They look like tin cans. We saw several large, large trees that were still lying on top of homes."
She and Verney distributed $500 in Wal-Mart gift certificates to Collins residents during their trip, Carter said. She added that they tried to offer Smith $500 cash because he was using his own cell phone and other resources for official business since the hurricane struck.
Smith politely refused the personal cash assistance because he said he expected to be reimbursed later, Carter said, adding that the money was then donated to a local church that was helping feed local relief volunteers.
"It's a very modest town," Carter said. "The people that we met are extraordinary Americans. They are helping each other; they are taking friends in that had major damage to their homes."
"It was a charming, middle-class southern town with southern hospitality abounding from all of the people we met," Verney said Wednesday. "It had been dealt a tough blow by wind."
Carter said Collins is not in need of water or clothing, but instead needs capital assistance to fund repairs and to purchase food.
"It's so specific to each person," Verney said. "Somebody might need a tarp, someone else may need a piece of plywood and someone else might need ten."
The group plans to end its fundraising events Oct . 30 with a celebration in Peterborough. Bass said he hopes to bring Smith and his wife to New Hampshire for the event, adding that it will be the first time Smith has ever been in an airplane.
More information about fundraising events can be found on local town websites or the Peterborough Chamber of Commerce website at http://www.peterboroughchamber.com .
Mississippi Rep. Chip Pickering, a Republican,, who recommended Collins to Rep. Bass, said he also appreciates the efforts of the Monadnock Express.
"Collins, Mississippi, is right down the road from where I grew up and is a wonderful example of small town America," Pickering said in a statement to the Union Leader Thursday. "Mississippians are proud and resilient folks who don't like to ask for help unless they really need it. But they also understand generosity and know how to help friends and neighbors, and when times are tough, receive help."
Pickering added that "when we start getting back to normal, I hope we can have some visitors down from New Hampshire to sample the fried-chicken at the Main Street Café."
Bradley to Return DeLay Campaign Funds
By Anthony Bertuca and Kathleen D. Tobin
WASHINGTON, Sept. 28- New Hampshire Rep. Jeb Bradley said Wednesday that he will return $15,000 in campaign funds from former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay's political action committee in the wake of the Texas Republican's indictment for criminal conspiracy to violate the state's campaign financing law.
The indictment by a Texas grand jury involves corporate contributions to an arm of the Republican National Committee, with the money going ultimately to Republican candidates for the Texas legislature.
The money Bradley said he would return came from DeLay's leadership political action committee, which does not figure in the indictment. Leadership political action committees are organizations controlled by a politician for the purpose of donating money to other members of their party.
"Today's indictment specifically concerns Rep. DeLay's state of Texas political action committee, TRMPAC [Texans for a Republican Majority]," Bradley said in a statement to the Union Leader. "His federal election PAC, ARMPAC [Americans for a Republican Majority], which has contributed to my campaign, is not under investigation. However, to remove any questions that may arise about his contributions, I will be returning these funds from his federal PAC."
Since his first House campaign, in 2002, Bradley has received $15,000 from ARMPAC.
Rep. Charles Bass will keep the $7,500 he received from ARMPAC in 2000 because that committee is not under investigation, said Scott Tranchemontagne, a campaign spokesman for Bass.
"Those contributions were spent," he said. "Unless new evidence emerges that ARMPAC was in violation, the Bass Victory Committee will keep those funds."
Under House GOP rules, DeLay has stepped down at least temporarily as majority leader.
Earlier this year, both Bass and Bradley voted against changes in House Republican Conference rules that would have allowed members of the leadership to remain in their positions if indicted.
"Congressman DeLay has stepped down from his position as majority leader in response to an indictment," Bass said in a press release. "I believe the rules are appropriate, and their application is justified in this instance."
New Hampshire Sen. John Sununu also received $10,000 in 2002 from DeLay's committee, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Sununu was unavailable for comment Wednesday.
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New Hampshire Residents Protest in Washington
WASHINGTON, Sept. 24 - Not even a Park Service official asking them to remove their antiwar signs from the Commodore John Paul Jones Memorial was enough to upset the New Hampshire residents who traveled to Washington this weekend to protest the war in Iraq.
Toting signs that read "No U.S. Empire," "Military Brats for Peace," and "Bush lies, who dies?" among others, about 200 residents from all over New Hampshire publicly displayed their discontent for the war at the United for Peace and Justice rally and march.
"I feel it's an unjust war," said Steve Kowal, 56, of Portsmouth, N.H. "This war was built on lies about weapons of mass destruction and terrorism."
Kowal, a second-year graduate student at Antioch New England Graduate School in Keene, N.H., made the eight-hour trip to Washington Friday night with a professor and six other students.
"We live in a democracy and we're here to express our rights," he added. "People need to realize that everything [they] do makes a difference."
Steve Chase, director of the Environmental Advocacy and Organizing Program at Antioch New England Graduate School, said he was glad to share the protest experience with his students, including a foreign exchange student from Palestine.
"I just think people need to come together and do what they can," he said.
Chase said he hopes to "help America live up to its incredible promise," by voicing his concerns at rallies such as this one.
Throughout the rally, which took place on the grounds between the Washington Monument and the White House, numerous speakers addressed the thousands of participants.
Among the speakers was Cindy Sheehan who gained national attention by demonstrating outside of President George W. Bush's Crawford, Texas, ranch this summer after her son, Casey, died in Iraq.
"We need a people's movement to end this war," Sheehan said. "We have to do our jobs as Americans."
"We are here in massive amounts of people to show our government and our media that we mean business," Sheehan said before declaring that she would not give up her fight to end the war in Iraq until the last troops have returned home.
The Reverend Jesse Jackson also addressed the crowd Saturday.
"It's a long road but keep marching," he said. "March on, fight on," he added before he and the crowd began chanting "bring the troops home now."
Hancock, N.H., resident Polly Curran, who attended the rally with her husband, a U.S veteran, said she hopes her participation will help convince the Bush Administration to bring troops home and show other Americans that they should be willing to stand for what they believe in.
"You've got to communicate with the White House," she said. "It doesn't matter where we are in this country, we are all Americans."
Courtney Westbrook, 17, of Dunbarton, N.H., said she hoped her participation in the march would show other teenagers that their opinions do matter, even if they are not old enough to vote.
Westbrook, a senior at Bishop Brady High School in Concord, traveled to Washington by bus with New Hampshire Peace Action, which chartered three buses to the event from various locations in New Hampshire.
Jessica Ellis, the coordinator of New Hampshire Peace Action, said she hoped the massive amount of people at the march would provide President Bush and the nation with a "visual message" and "in that way create a change."
"The reasons we were given by our government were not true and that makes this an illegal and unsupportable war," Ellis said.
Another New Hampshire group that attended this weekend's rally was "The Testygoyls."
The Testygoyls, a group of six women, was formed specifically to oppose the war in Iraq.
"We decided we wanted to stop just complaining about it," said Laurie Sargent of Hopkinton, N.H.
Sargent added that the rally was important for people who are "on the fence" about voicing their beliefs about the war in Iraq or those who feel alienated because of their beliefs because it allowed them to "be around people that are so wildly different but with a unified cause."
"We may be small, but we're loud," said Sargent before she and the other Testygoyls again began chanting "we're too testy for this war, we can't take it anymore."
Sununu and GOP Rally to Cut Spending
WASHINGTON, Sept. 22 - Six members of Congress, including New Hampshire GOP Sen. John Sununu, issued a range of proposals Thursday to cut federal spending to pay for Katrina relief.
"We know that we've got an obligation to provide funding for this disaster relief," Sununu said at a press conference. "But we cannot allow deficit spending to suddenly renew itself and begin increasing out of control. It creates long-term economic liabilities for our children and grandchildren that would forestall the very opportunities that we want to try and create."
The group proposed that the government cut all non-defense and non-homeland security discretionary spending by five percent across the board. The bulk of that money would contribute to the Katrina funding, with the balance in a contingency fund for the president and Congress to spend if they conclude that cuts in particular programs go to far.
This plan could save the government $15 billion-$20 billion that could offset the costs of Katrina relief, Sen. John Ensign (R-Nevada) said at the press conference.
The legislators also suggested the government delay Medicare prescription drug benefits by two years for all but low-income senior citizens.
If the government does not find a way to reduce spending, "we're spending the future generations' opportunities," said Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.).
Other proposed ways the government can reduce spending to fund Katrina relief include reducing the recently enacted federal highway bill, eliminating federal accounting errors, which, according to the group, could save about $100 billion each year, and abolishing the General Service Administration's practice of paying "middle man" fees for the procurement of goods when, they said, this could be done in the private sector at a cheaper cost.
"This is a time of sacrifice as well as assistance," said Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).
New Hampshire Sen. Judd Gregg said in a telephone interview that he also believes the government can meet the cost of Katrina relief by reducing unnecessary spending.
While New Hampshire Rep. Jeb Bradley said tax hikes can only worsen the relief efforts by depressing the economy, Rep. Charles Bass, also from New Hampshire, said he wants to leave all options "on the table" until the effects of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita are better understood.
Not everyone, however, agrees that spending cuts alone will be sufficient..
"I don't think that's a feasible solution," said Bruce Katz, the vice president and director of metropolitan policy at The Brookings Institution, a liberal think tank in Washington. "Perhaps a small segment of the funding could be offset by spending cuts."
Katz said while the government should cut spending, legislators should also consider delaying planned cuts in taxes, such as permanent repeal of the estate tax.
"That seems to be the way to generate large amount of revenues that could be used to fund recovery," Katz added. "Spending cuts, particularly those that are geared toward the low income, seems to be just hurting other very vulnerable people in our society at a time when Katrina unmasked how persistent poverty still is."
Though Brian Riedl, a spokesman for the conservative Heritage Foundation, said "economically there is no shortage of wasteful and unnecessary spending in the federal budget," he added that a lot will depend on how willing legislators are to make necessary cuts.
"If history is any guide, lawmakers will refuse to make any of the difficult decisions necessary to rein in spending," he said. "Every program, no matter how wasteful or useless, will be defended to the death by some special interest who benefits. If Congress isn't willing to take on wasteful programs, then this will just be dumped into the debt for the next generation."
Congressional Subcommittee Meets to Learn from Hurricane Katrina
WASHINGTON, Sept. 21 - Concerned about effectively predicting and preparing the nation for future hurricanes, a Senate subcommittee held a hearing Tuesday to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the current National Weather Service's procedures.
"The last thing we need now is critics," said Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), the chair of the commerce committee's disaster prevention and prediction subcommittee, adding that this is the time for leaders to step forward and help improve hurricane preparation procedures to save lives in the future.
"Hurricane Katrina is a good example of how accurate predictions save lives," DeMint said. "Hundreds of thousands of people evacuated because they got early and accurate information."
While the "catastrophic devastation along the Gulf Coast from Hurricane Katrina is like nothing I have witnessed before," said Max Mayfield, director of the National Weather Service's National Hurricane Center, adding that without the warnings and forecasts of the agency, "loss of life would have been far greater."
According to Mayfield, between 25 and 30 percent of residents usually evacuate during a hurricane, adding that advanced warnings pushed the evacuation rate during Hurricane Katrina to about 80 percent.
While it is important to help Gulf Coast residents recover from Hurricane Katrina, Mayfield said it is also essential to determine how to protect other areas that are vulnerable to hurricanes, which "believe it or not" includes New England.
Mayfield said that forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which oversees the National Weather Service, were more accurate than usual during Hurricane Katrina, with the projected tracks for 48 hours before the storm hit almost directly in line with the actual path.
Keith Blackwell, from the Coastal Weather Research Center at the University of South Alabama, said the National Hurricane Center did a "good job" predicting and forecasting Hurricane Katrina days before it hit, adding he is not sure "the vast majority of the public has the confidence necessary in these multi-day forecasts to motivate them to begin early preparation."
Blackwell suggested the National Weather Service should not issue five-day forecasts of hurricanes in all situations because they are generally too "unpredictable" at that point and warning people in certain areas could cause others not to prepare for the hurricane though its path could change to hit them.
Blackwell also suggested an upgrade of the current hurricane scale so it not only forecasts wind intensity, but storm surge, rainfall and inland flooding and storm size so the public will be able to prepare for all facets of the storm.
"We are nowhere near perfect," he said, adding that "with Hurricane Katrina, we did have accurate warning."
Marc Levitan, director of the Louisiana State University Hurricane Center, told the subcommittee that "Hurricane Katrina has demonstrated numerous failures and shortcomings in how we have managed both the natural and built environments."
He added that, "the battle is won off-season," that new building codes and construction practices should be put in place to reduce the vulnerability of homes and other buildings in hurricane prone areas.
"Now more than ever we must change our practices," Levitan said.
Patrick Roberts, president of the Florida Association of Broadcasters, also spoke at Tuesday's hearing.
Utilizing Florida's disaster response components, Roberts suggested the federal government consider establishing annual public education media campaigns in multiple languages to inform citizens about what to do in case of a disaster, as well as an emergency disaster alert system similar to the "Amber alert" system, which informs the public of child abductions.
Roberts said the nation also could benefit from a "unified command approach" where "all of the players check their egos, logos and party affiliations at the door" to effectively respond to the needs of Americans.
According to Louisiana Sen. David Vitter, who is also a member of the Subcommittee on Disaster Prevention and Prediction, Hurricane Katrina "really didn't have to happen this way."
"This wasn't just predictable, it was predicted," he said. "We've got another storm to test out our models unfortunately," he added, referring to Hurricane Rita.
Gregg Proposes Katrina Recovery Authority
WASHINGTON, Sept. 15 - New Hampshire Sen. Judd Gregg is working on a proposal to create a Gulf Coast Recovery and Disaster Prevention Program to oversee relief efforts in the states affected by Hurricane Katrina.
Complaining that the relief work is "proceeding in a rather haphazard way," Gregg said in a press release Wednesday that "we must now look ahead to ensure that the massive amount of federal dollars are being spent effectively and efficiently on reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts in the effected Gulf Coast region."
Gregg's proposal would create an authority with "full budget, audit and investigation powers" to oversee all planning, management and federal resources used in rehabilitation efforts.
"We must make sure that the people and areas that were directly affected by the storm get the help they need to get on their feet and get their communities rebuilt," Gregg said. "At the same time, we must take every precaution to ensure that these funds are spent wisely."
To head the authority, Gregg calls for a director of gulf coast recovery and disaster preparation, appointed within the Office of the President to a three-year term that, he said, "may be extended by a supermajority vote of Congress." A supermajority vote is one that exceeds a simple majority.
The office of the director would be located in the Gulf Coast region and the director would be required to report to Congress four times a year on the progress of relief efforts.
"It's essential that we have a clear accountability and strong oversight for all the emergency support and recovery funds going to the Gulf States," New Hampshire Sen. John Sununu said in a statement, adding that he has agreed to co-sponsor legislation that would immediately establish an inspector general to oversee Katrina relief.
The inspector general would have the authority to "investigate and address any allegations of financial management," Sununu said.
Gregg, in a Thursday statement, said, "We need some leadership in making sure this is a coordinated effort, that the money isn't wasted and that the money gets to the people who need it and that the reconstruction effort is done in an efficient and cost-effective way,"
New Hampshire Rep. Charles Bass also supports the establishment of an inspector general and believes the creation of this position should have been in the aid package Congress approved last week, he said in a telephone interview yesterday.
Rep. Jeb Bradley, New Hampshire's other representative, called Gregg's proposal a "well thought out plan" and said he looks forward to working with him to propose similar legislation in the House.
"We have to have accountability and we have to have efficiency to the best extent possible," he said in a telephone interview, adding that he believes Katrina relief spending will reach, at least $150 billion.
