John Kerry: “16 months after Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, small business owners in New Orleans and across Louisiana are…”

“16 months after Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, small business owners in New Orleans and across Louisiana are still struggling to keep their doors open and their employees working. In those 16 months, I have worked with Senators Snowe, Landrieu, and Vitter to produce a comprehensive package to reform the SBA's Disaster Assistance program. The SBA's failed response in a time of unmatched need demonstrated to everyone that this program is broken and needs fixing. Immediately after Hurricane Katrina hit, I introduced an amendment with Senator Landrieu to the fiscal year 2006 Commerce, Justice and Science appropriations bill to address the needs of Gulf Region small business and homeowners. The amendment was adapted with input from Chair Snowe, and a subsequent bipartisan amendment passed the Senate with a vote of 96-0. Although the entire Senate supported the amendment, it was stripped out of the bill in conference. On September 30, 2005, I again worked with Chair Snowe and Senators Landrieu and Vitter to introduce a bipartisan proposal, the Small Business Hurricane Relief and Reconstruction Act of 2006 S. 1807. This proposal was opposed by the administration. In June, I introduced the Small Business Disaster Loan Reauthorization and Improvements Act of 2006, S. 3487 which once again attempted to comprehensively address the shortcomings of the SBA's Disaster Assistance program. Again, the administration opposed this effort.”