Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California for yielding. Madam Speaker, I want to first thank my friend from Nevada for working with us on this legislation. This is important. I thank my colleague from Louisiana (Mr. Carter) as well as Miss Gonzalez-Colon from Puerto Rico. These are all folks, Madam Speaker, who have been through the aftermath of disasters. Of course, the lead sponsor whom we are working on this legislation with is the chair of the Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management Subcommittee. Just to explain what happens here, in the aftermath of a disaster-- and as the gentleman from California noted, this can be a forest fire, it could be a flood, it could be a hurricane, an earthquake, or other types of disasters--you have an alphabet soup of agencies that come in and offer assistance. It could be FEMA, it could be the Small Business Administration, it could be the Department of Agriculture, it could be the Department of Housing and Urban Development, or others. Madam Speaker, the last thing in the world the victim of a disaster needs is to be revictimized by their own government bureaucracy. Whether your home was destroyed in a forest fire, it was blown away in a hurricane, or it was destroyed in a flood, you need help. You don't need bureaucracy. Yet, each agency has its own process. This bill brings common sense to that. It relieves the stress of being a disaster victim, and it provides a universal application.…”