James Oberstar: “This disaster mitigation legislation does represent the very best, however, of comity between the two parties in this…”

“This disaster mitigation legislation does represent the very best, however, of comity between the two parties in this House and the two sides of our committee. The benefit of this bill is that it establishes a predisaster mitigation program based on the very effective Project Impact initiative that emphasizes local community involvement critical to the success of implementing long-term strategies for disaster resistance. This is the first time at the Federal level that we will be providing a mechanism and funding to address problems before they occur. If we can avoid losses, we can avoid future tragedies, we will save tens of millions of dollars, and that is the essential character of this legislation, the essential contribution that it makes. I rise in support of H.R. 707, the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000, the third and final time that we take up this legislation in this body.”