Joseph Knollenberg: “first, I would like to convey my deepest sympathies to the victims of the California earthquake. We in Congress have…”

“first, I would like to convey my deepest sympathies to the victims of the California earthquake. We in Congress have witnessed your plight and I hope we can send relief in a timely manner. Second, we should pay for disaster relief with spending cuts, rather than adding to the Federal deficit. We owe that to the people of California and we owe that to the taxpayers of America. Finally, we have to view the quake for what it is: A clarion call for a smart and equitable disaster policy. We simply cannot continue to wait until catastrophe strikes, and then haphazardly address the aftermath with a mish-mash of Government programs. In the past 10 years, this visionless policy has cost us $22 billion. We need to consider legislation like H.R. 2873, the Natural Disaster Protection Act, introduced by Congressman Norm Mineta. This initiative would speed up basic relief when it is needed. It would give every American living in a disaster-prone area access to a sound and affordable system of insurance. And it would limit the taxpayers' liability to the costs of disaster relief and recovery. The Federal Government will never be able to avert natural disasters, but let us at least be ready for them when they happen.”